


Second Sucks

by radagastcar



Series: MotoGP [1]
Category: motogp - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, MotoGP, Motorcycles, Multi, Racing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:36:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 53,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25383931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radagastcar/pseuds/radagastcar
Summary: Maikki Kankkunen is an up-and-coming Moto2 rider, the only female on the grid and with the potential of going pro. To help support her “tarmac habit,” she works as a personal nutritionist for nine times world champion Valentino Rossi - and other riders - until Vale convinces her to take the leap and submits her name for a coveted satellite Yamaha seat.Does Maikki have what it takes to compete at the highest level of motorcycle racing, overcoming the blatant sexism of the industry? Will she be able to resist the charms of a man who began his career when she was still in the cradle?
Relationships: Andrea Iannone/Original Character(s), Marc Marquez/Original Female Character(s), Nicky Hayden/Original Female Character(s), Valentino Rossi/Original Female Character(s)
Series: MotoGP [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1895953
Comments: 5
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title credit: A Day To Remember, “2nd Sucks”
> 
> Disclaimer: General explicit language, occasional sex scenes, some scary motorcycle crashes, I’ve never met any of these humans, written pre-COVID in 2018/2019.

"What are we looking at today?"

Maik sighed as she turned up the heat on the pan. Today's menu was entirely vegan - and not because her client wanted it to be, but because he was anticipating a difficult season and needed to be as lean and strong as possible. While she had told him she could make that happen with a decent amount of animal proteins, apparently the pressure was coming from on high. Like, from Valentino Rossi's current supermodel girlfriend on high. 

Moto2 rider Maikki Kankkunen still needed to hold a day job to support herself. Not that her former rally racing father couldn't help her to find sponsorships that would make life easier, but Maik wanted to do life her own way. She was currently the only Finnish rider on the circuit and the only woman, and no one knew more than she did how much she had to prove.

"Breakfast is going to be a 'chicken' biscuit with greens and hash browns, lunch is a big-ass pomegranate salad, and for dinner I've set you up with some burgers to cook up and dress yourselves for date night." Maikki glanced up at the MotoGP legend, noting the distress on his face. “Don’t worry. They’re vegan burgers.”

She felt lucky to have pulled the job that she had - personal chef and nutritionist for the Yamaha factory team, including Maverick Vinales when he was around and Vale himself, she had to work a lot less for a lot more pay than she had when she was working her way up to Moto2. After years of partying and the playboy lifestyle, the nearly-forty-year-old had decided that he should at least hire someone to focus on his nutrition for him. Being a Yamaha rider herself, she had made the connection through her team, but still, it was her own job. 

Mav's meals she made at his house twice weekly, all stored and ready to be reheated. But Vale preferred his meals to be fresh, and could afford her time to make it so. He would cook dinners for himself and his girlfriend twice a week, giving Maik time to fit in Mav's meals, and both usually took lunches for the road so they could easily train - which then left her open to train, too. But it meant the Moto2 chef was still at Valentino's house, or wherever he happened to be staying, every single day during season. Sometimes twice a day.

Valentino was rubbing the damp out of his hair, still in gym shorts after his morning workout as he came into his massive kitchen. With gorgeous light gray granite and white cabinets - and a giant stove, fridge and all-clad cookware that Maik adored - his kitchen was truly a wonderful place to cook. Her normal morning routine consisted of a workout, a shower, and a stop at the market before she showed up at his kitchen, before and after training sessions on her bike and book ended by regular workout sessions. It was difficult, but some day, the lack of sleep would be worth it. 

"Can we start to wean me off the fucking vegan thing, Maik?"

The Fin glanced up at her client, an eyebrow raised as she rested the knife she had been sharpening against the wooden cutting board. They spoke in Italian - something she had picked up over the years from immersion and because she could also speak Spanish. Thank god for the Finnish education system and their emphasis on fluency in other languages. 

"Oh? I think I can do that in a week. Craving some steak or something?"

"Nah, I'm done with Francesca." That wasn't much of her business, but Vale had always treated her more like a friend than an employee. Maybe it was because most of his employees were his friends. It was a role she had fallen into easily, which was in no small part due to the magnetism of the man’s charisma. "So only one serving for the week, too, unless you want some of this shit."

She shot him a glare for insulting her cooking, struggling to keep a straight face before she started laughing at his momentary shock. 

"I mean, I'm down for a fake chicken biscuit today, Vale, but I can't eat all your extra food," Maikki murmured with a laugh, returning to processing the greens for the breakfast side. She usually had a smoothie on the way to the track, but an exception was in her macros. Especially a vegan one. He was still looking at her expectantly, like he was waiting for her to say something.

"What? You're gonna make me cut myself, and I know you don't want that on your conscience."

"Are you going to the tests tomorrow?" That caught the chef off guard and she had to set the knife down again, a hand planted on either side of the cutting board.

"I wasn't planning on it. I have to train on my new bike."

"You were one of three invited, Maik. You should be there. I want you there." He stopped, one gangly leg perched on a stool on the other side of the kitchen island. His bright blue eyes were intense, and Maikki picked up her knife and began to work again to avoid wilting under his glare.

"Encouraging," The fry oil on the stove top had reached temperature, and she turned to dunk the faux chicken fillets into them. She had coated the fake chicken in her own mixture of herbs and breadcrumbs before frying, and watched carefully as they crackled. They would be done just before the biscuits - long enough to rest before assembly, and just long enough to wilt some spinach to mix in with home fries as a side. Maikki focused on all of her ingredients so just to avoid Valentino’s questioning glare. 

"You need to go. You're too good for Moto2. And too good for this."

"I thought you liked my food!" Maikki gestured threateningly with her Wusthoff before she used the spine of the knife to collect her spinach.

"That's not what I'm saying, Maikki. I know you want to be the Greatest. So come after it." He sighed, shaking his head. "You know what? If you don't at least try, you're fired."

"Excuse me?" Maik's reply was strangled as Valentino left the kitchen with a wave of his hand, presumably to put a shirt on.

Well that was an ultimatum, wasn't it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In honor of MotoGP’s return, I’ve decided to post this story which I wrote a couple years ago. I hope y’all are into it!
> 
> Note that the timeline this takes place in SERIOUSLY departs from the actual MotoGP timeline, though anything before the 2018 season should be relatively true to history.


	2. Chapter 2

"You ready to go?" A familiar hand clamped down on Maikki's helmet as she sat on the 600cc Tech3, drumming her gloved fingers on the tank. This was probably one of the most important laps of her life, but she was trying desperately not to think of it that way, or the stress would kill her.

Maik glanced up at her crew chief as he shut the visor on her helmet. Aahto Linnankivi had been with Maikki as her trainer and team manager for as long as she could remember, and even before she could afford to pay him. Which she still couldn't, he was paid by Yamaha to run her Moto2 team. He was two years older than she was, and the pair had grown up together in their hometown of Kuusamo.

"Come on, kid, just give us a few good laps. Pretend it's me you're racing and not il Doctore."

"But I can beat you," 

"Exactly." Aahto smiled and gave her a little push, prompting the rider to slip off the kickstand and drift down the tarmac toward the start, warming her tires. A glance to her left showed her that Valentino was patiently waiting, helmet still off as she started to warm up. He had already taken runs with the other two candidates from Moto2 - including her Tech3 compatriot Remy, and one of Valentino's Sky Racing Team kids, Francesco. Maikki may have trained with the Sky Team kids on occasion, utilizing Vale's facilities was one of the perks of working with him, but he had never invited her to be on his own team. Why she would take precedence over someone like Francesco in Rossi's eyes she'd never know, but the man had continued to be particularly pushy about her attending the tests since the morning before in his kitchen. 

She would take ten minutes worth of laps on her 600 to show her lap times, with Valentino and Maverick on her tail to test her nerves, and then hop on one of the "big bikes" for a few test laps where she was expressly instructed to keep it under 150 miles per hour. This was as much a test for the team leadership as it was for Vale and Mav, who were making sure whoever they hired was worth it in the competitive world of MotoGP. 

Maikki took a sighting lap on the test track even though she had seen it before - raced on it, even - but came into the start to look at the officiator of the test, a stern-looking Japanese man named Hoshi. He nodded to Rossi and Vinales, who took second and third behind her unearned pole position on their pre-warmed bikes, waiting. 

The flag dropped.

It was like a mini race. Maikki had the advantage of knowing her bike best and took off ahead of the two MotoGP riders, sailing into the first corner smoothly with the professionals in tow. Maikki’s style was all about smooth, consistent speed - the announcers in races often commented about how she glided through corners like a figure skater. It was much easier to be smooth and consistent when two of the best racers in the world weren't breathing down her neck.

It seemed Rossi got a handle on his bike and took Maikki on the infinitesimally small space she left on the corner, taking off past her. Primed for the chase, she blocked Vinales' pass attempt and shot off after Valentino, returning the favor on the next corner. She had the upper hand on the smaller bike if only because she rode one almost every day. The piggy-backing and constant passing between the two continued for the next corner as Maikki continued to try and block Maverick - knowing he could block her if he got ahead of her. 

The test really turned into a ten minute long battle between Maikki and Valentino. She could feel that he was testing her, in the beginning, and almost let her anger take control of the bike. The pair were goading her, she knew, trying to force her to make a mistake. She needed to keep a level head or she would frustrate herself right off the track. Keeping her breathing moderated, she flew to keep pace with the pair in the straights, going flat-out before braking into the corners.

It was simple as that, really. Don't get passed. Brake at the last minute. Accelerate smoothly out. Shift for the next corner. Prepare. Accelerate. Go as fast as possible. Don't get passed.

Don't get passed.

Finally, Maikki broke past Rossi and started making a substantial lead as she broke into her zen state - the one where the roar of her engine transformed into music in her mind, and her shifting became effortless and automatic. She blocked out the two professionals, and most other thought, until the flag started to wave. Maikki realized she had managed to better the two men for the better part of a lap and a half, and beamed as she slowed to stop in the pits, where one of her mechanics caught her handlebars.

"Maikki! Fuck, man, I haven't seen you zone out like that in a while!" Aahto cheered as he unstrapped her helmet, letting her dump her gloves in it before he set it on the tank of the bike. The Finn clambered off her bike, knocking on her elbow guards with a grin.

"It wasn't a fight today. Not on the Tech. I'm not sure what's going to happen on one of the big boys, though."

"You'll find it. You're governed on that, though, remember that. Part of this is probably a test for following instructions."

Maikki was distracted from Aahto's advice by the roar of the #46 M1 as it started, followed quickly by the spare #26 and #46. They were the real deal, those two. She and Remy would be riding the #26 spare, which was set up for the shorter Vinales, and Francesco got to ride Valentino's spare. They would all get a few laps to feel out the bike before Valentino was loosed after them - Maverick had to go to an interview for the remainder of the afternoon. That was, Valentino would be loosed after them if he deemed it was safe to. Maik couldn't pretend she wasn't jealous as she watched all four of the bikes be put through their paces on the warm-up machines, wheels spinning to simulate the track without actually going through the effort of manual warm-ups.

Even if she didn't make it onto the team, being at the test was worth it just for the opportunity to ride an M1 - a purpose-built race machine unlike anything she had practiced on. Her 600cc paled in comparison, even though she adored the bike. She had to give Valentino that much for goading her toward the test - it was a great opportunity. 

Leathers partially unzipped and hanging from her hips, Maik waited in the shade as her team packed up her Tech3. She watched as as Remy took off on his sighting lap on the #26, observing him shrewdly as he left the pit to see what mistakes he made. After a moment, she climbed up on the tires on the side of the track, leaning on the chain-link fence as she watched him ride. She knew her teammate's riding style almost as well as her own, and could tell when he was struggling. The bike seemed to want to leap from underneath him, he could barely keep his seat as he accelerated into the corners, the tires bucking. Was 150 fast enough for them to be able to control the bike? Some of the corners at Misiano were notoriously tricky - and fast. 

"You look... pensive," A familiar Italian accent made her jump, and Maikki turned to find Valentino standing on the ground, arms crossed as he looked up at her, his leathers folded down over his hips like hers in the August heat. He had a mesh undersuit on that covered his chest, something Maikki didn't use because of the simple fact that she had to wear a bra when the guys didn't.

Wasn't he supposed to be warming up to ride? He seemed to read her mind as he leaned on the tires at her feet. "I can't go out there with him, he's too wobbly."

"Yeah, he looks like he's having a traction issue. I get that they're heavier. My worry is that 150 is too slow to make the big ones stick." Maik turned her attention back to the track as Remy looped around, still fighting to keep his tires flat even in the straights.

"Then go faster." He said with a nonchalant shrug, that shit-eating grin plastered on his face as he squinted up at her. 

"What?"

"Go faster. If you think it's too slow to ride the bike safely, go faster. Try not to crash, Maverick might be fucking angry if you do, but you can fucking go faster."

"I feel like you're trying to get me in - oh, fuck!" Remy slid into the gravel with his limbs splayed, trying not to flip end over end as he skidded to a halt behind the bike. He was on his feet in an instant, indicating he was ok but very obviously swearing up a storm. Valentino jumped up on the tires next to her, staring at the dirt cloud with squinted eyes but a broad grin. 

"See? Do what you need to. Don't crash."

He stayed with her, chatting about the wreck of a bike as they started working on getting Francesco ready to go and brought Remy in on the back of a scooter.

"It looks like you're riding mine, unless Pecco crashes out too," Valentino mused as Remy limped over to the pair, scowling deeply. Maikki gave her teammate a hand up onto the tires to lean on the fence with them, obviously sore in body and mind.

"It's too slow. Why do they tell you you can't go over 150 if it's too slow?" He was looking to Valentino for an answer, but the older rider shook his head as Francesco brought the bike back into pit lane after three laps, saying he didn't feel comfortable and thought he was going to crash out. Maikki couldn't blame him for being afraid of ruining what was probably a million dollar bike, but a crippling level of fear had no place on the MotoGP track. Some fear was healthy, sure. But the best riders were always the biggest assholes.

"You're up, short stuff," Francesco called, as the mechanics adjusted the tires on #46. He walked up to the trio at the fence, his hands shaking. "That thing... That's a monster."

Maikki grinned as she hopped down from the tires and snaked her arms into her sleeves, giving her peers one last glance over her shoulder.

"I like monsters. Wish me luck, kids." Francesco waved but her teammate Remy flipped her off playfully. Valentino had his arms crossed and nodded at her sagely - the effect spoiled somewhat by a broad grin - before she turned, walking over to Aahto next to the #46 spare.

"Please, please don't crash this, Maik. Really. We can't destroy both of their spares."

"Aahto, they tear them apart between each race anyway. I'm not worried about it." Her friend lifted an eyebrow as he secured her helmet, giving it a tug to test that it was solidly attached to her head. She chewed on her mouthguard, considering the humming engine below her as he thumped the top of her helmet, prompting her back to reality.

"Don't hurt yourself." 

Maikki started slow, stretching to stand to straighten her leathers as she plodded out of pit lane, getting an idea for the balance of the bike before she shifted into second on the tarmac.

Fuck, it really was a monster, she realized as she started to shift into the corners. 150 was really too slow. Dangerously slow. She needed to lean into the corners, needed the bite of the speed in between them on the tires. So she started to go faster.

She was pushing into her third lap of the track when another rider shot past her on the straight, glancing over his shoulder. Valentino. Maikki could see his playful grin in his mind's eye as he gave her the thumbs up with his throttle hand, shifting easily into a corner. He was going slowly, so she could keep on his tail, She still wasn't going as fast as she could, but was fast enough to keep it steady into the corners without crashing out like Remy had. She had a feel for the throttle now, and where she needed to shift... she could go faster.

Maik sped up. She locked onto Valentino's back tire and let herself feel the bike, no longer caring about speed in her endeavor to pass him. Smooth and controlled, she shifted behind him, looking for an opening to slide through. The bike was heavier, for sure, but otherwise it didn't operate any differently than her Tech 3. It was a joy, responding to her touch, arguing with her occasionally but she was able to soothe the beast as they both worked toward the goal.

After three more laps, Maikki passed Valentino Rossi on his own bike.


	3. Chapter 3

Wildcard. Maikki's MotoGP career had started as a wildcard racer for the 2018 season on Movistar Yamaha's Factory Team, but after two races she secured her starting spot on the team. Next year, she would likely be a full-time seat for Factory Yamaha, if she could prove her mettle on the Rossi-hand-me-down she was riding for the season. As the field expanded to include more teams and riders, the factory teams started adding more seats. This was especially true for Yamaha because everyone still waited with bated breath to see when Valentino would finally retire. The team needed to groom someone to step in. 

Maik still cooked occasionally - for herself, and sometimes for her teammates who claimed they missed her meals - but she was on an actual salary for the first time in a long time. She had sponsors. She was able to buy a flat in Helsinki to stay in whenever she ventured toward home, and her own apartment in Cattolica, near Tavullia to stay while she was training with Valentino. She had her own space. She was able to put money away. She was riding well - not yet winning, but no one expected that of her. Even if she did. 

It felt incredible. 

Most days.

Maikki sat with an ice pack on her shoulder, watching footage of her test on Valentino's couch. The man himself sat on the back of the couch, watching over her shoulder as she played the footage back.

"Do you know what you did wrong?"

"I crashed," Maikki murmured insolently, watching herself spin out first in reverse, then forward, then reverse again. It was almost fun to watch, despite the pain in her shoulder and hip. She had a fair few bruises from the day - the wreck they were watching wasn't the first.

"Listen here, you little shit," Vale thumped the back of her head with his phone as he laughed at her insolence, pointing at the footage. "There. You went into the slide, but not fast enough. You didn't commit, and then you break on the rear. That's why you went highside."

"I know," She watched the footage again, watching the slide of the tire. "How do I fix it?"

"Get your head down and slide."

"That is probably the most terrifying thing I've ever heard of," She murmured, looking up at the older rider. As she moved onto Yamaha, Vale had started to fall into the role of mentor - something Maikki was pretty sure came naturally to him. He had invited her to train with him at the Ranch, and after her first two underwhelming races, she took him up on the offer. 

"Takes less balls to commit than it does to go into that corner knowing you are going to come off the bike. And I watched you do that twice." He had a point. After over two decades on the bike, he always had a point. "Listen, Maikki. I want you on the factory team next year. I really do. We need fresh blood. I know you have the talent for it, you just have to be smarter."

"It is so much more difficult on that bike than I imagined," Maikki scowled, watching the crash again in slow motion, focused on the back tire, watching the slide. 

"Nobody said it would be easy." He rubbed her hair with a calloused paw, mussing up the blonde waves. "Come on, there's still some daylight left,"

"What, for driving back out to Misano?"

"No. For the flat track."

There were already a few people at the track - mostly the VR46 Academy kids, young and recklessly talented. Maikki changed in the garage, pulling on a zippered, sleeveless sweater over her leathers as she sought out her helmet and gloves.

Vale was already waiting next to his bike, directing a few of the older riders back to theirs so the she would have at least a semblance of competition on the track. But he wasn't in his leathers. Maik raised an eyebrow as she perched on her bike.

"I don't need sliding practice, cara mia. That's all on you." He kicked over his bike and took off toward the flat track, leaving Maikki and a few of the Sky Team kids - including Francesco Bagnaia and Nicolo Bulega - to follow in his wake. Shrugging, Maikki yanked on her helmet and gloves and followed them out to the track.

Vale had leaned his bike up against a pole, and was pointing at Maikki to come to where he stood, where pole position was on his track. He lined up all of the riders similarly, pointing at one and then at the spot on the track he wanted them to line up in. She was next to Pecco, with Nicolo behind her. 

"I want you to focus on your slide. Not your speed - they may pass you, but you need to slide the bike. No shortcuts." Vale leaned on her handlebars, looking up under her visor.

"But I don't want them to pass me,"

"Don't be childish, Maikki, no one likes getting passed."

"Then why can't I practice without them?"

"Because if you get passed you'll focus on getting better." He reached to shut her visor, tapping her on the head before he turned to the rest of his little field. 

Really, it was embarrassing. Not just getting passed by the youths - though some of the Moto2 kids were pretty decent, and being on the dirt track was a great equalizer - but that she hadn't perfected the skill before this point. Maikki was in dead last as she worked on her skid, a foot out to keep herself from falling, and every time she swooped by Valentino she could see his frown, his crossed arms. Damn it, his disappointment was even worse to deal with than her abject failure.

It was only a matter of time before she crashed again, and crashed she did, flying high side off the bike and into the grass, tumbling end over end. 

Frustrated, Maikki pounded the grass with her fists before she climbed to her feet, staring at her flat track bike and wondering how this was so difficult for her to grasp. On her knees, she watched the guys whip by, sideways, like they were looking right at her.

"What a fucking nightmare," She pushed her 450 back on two wheels and slowly made her way back to where Valentino waited at the starting line, still frowning.

“Do it again.”

Maikki opened her mouth to argue, but there was no arguing with that stern face. Nicolo was heading to the garage with two of the younger kids in tow, probably getting ready for dinner that she was supposedly in charge of serving. Pecco seemed like he was about to head that way, too, watching from the sideline with his helmet in his lap. Maik sighed and turned her handlebars hard to check if they were straight before she kicked over her bike and got back on the track. 

She was almost immediately bucked off. This time she actually did bend the handlebars - pretty awfully, she was going to have to order a replacement set and go into town the next day. Her hip and shoulder both ached from repeated high ejections. Valentino, sitting on a tree stump, pointed at his bike. Reluctantly, Maikki traded bikes and got back on the track. 

As she endlessly circled the track, she started to realize what she was doing wrong - that Vale was right. She needed to commit. 

Maik came to a halt at the start line, looking over the now-empty track. Empty but for her and Vale. She shed her jacket - she was drenched in sweat, now - and took off. 

Sliding was hard. Sliding was scary if you didn’t know how. It was the first thing vale taught his boys when they came to the track. It was incredible that she got so far and could go so fast without the slide - just think of how much faster she could go with it, the guys said. Maikki needed to slide. She could. 

She went to downshift for the first corner like she usually did but decided not to. 

Commit. 

It almost ripped her off the bike. The sensation was the same - she wasn’t low enough in her seat. Maikki secured her knees better for the next corner, crouching lower, pushing her seat farther back as she started to kick out her back tire. 

Commit. 

She could hear Valentino’s whoop over the roar of the engine, but she couldn’t stop. Not until she had replicated the maneuver. She screamed around the track, through the straight and a corner that didn’t need a slide. She did it anyway, getting a feel for the strange sensation in her stomach. It was going to be worse when she got on her M1. 

Half an hour later, Vale waved at the younger rider, beckoning her in, mounted on her bike with its sad handlebar twisted down toward his foot. He had to reach down to pull the clutch in, and Maikki couldn’t help but laugh as she followed him in on the VR46 450. 

“You can keep practicing after dinner,” Vale commented, almost commanded. 

“Oh yeah, old man?” Maik asked as she started to strip off her gear, leaving her helmet and gloves on his bike as she unzipped her leathers. “I think I made some decent progress today.”

“You did,” She found herself wrapped in a hug, her t-shirt pinned between their bodies before she could slip it on. He held her close, his head dipped against her shoulder. Shocked for a moment, Maikki regained her faculties and pulled her hands from between them to wrap around his waist. “Doing alright there, champ?”

“Yeah, you’re just difficult.”

“Difficult how?” 

Valentino smiled as he pulled away from her - not the usual brilliant smile he wore, but one that looked almost sad. He shook his head as the pair started up toward the house.


	4. Chapter 4

She had finally gotten it down, and the mastery of the sliding technique had bumped her out of the teens and into ninth. Corner speed had been something she had struggled with on the "big bike." In reality, being so small was a detriment in itself - Maikki was just as tall as most of the male riders, at 5'6", but she wasn't nearly as heavy. She was more like the featherweight Dani Pedrosa, and it showed.

Today in Argentina it had been a hard-fought race, and she had managed to snag eighth which was the highest place she had gotten yet. All she needed to do was keep moving up and she would be in good shape for a seat on her own bike next year. Maikki had encountered a struggling Iannone, who was tangled with Tito Rabat in a battle for sixth, and had passed them both to snag a front-row seat for one of the more spectacular crashes of the season. 

Marquez had taken Vale out in what had been a vicious run around the track, tipping him and his bike off the tarmac and into the grass. Valentino picked up his battered M1 and limped it around the track for a finish but no points. Maik managed to pass Márquez after the spectacular incident, but had almost been forced off the track herself as the Spaniard pushed between her and Dovi in a gap that didn't exist. They wobbled, dangerously close to a collision, but didn't go down.

Aahto barely had time to whip off Maikki’s helmet and accept her gloves and mouth guard before she shot off her bike and toward Vale’s garage via the back way, avoiding the cameras. The male riders had more autonomy than she did - the first (and last) time she visited someone else’s garage via the paddock she had inadvertently started a rumor that she was dating Lorenzo when she was really just telling the man off for a risky pass that ran her into the grass. 

Maikki popped her head into the back door, running into one of Valentino’s friends. Dani was the head of his legal team and arguably one of the easiest people to get along with on team VR46, at least in Maikki’s opinion.

“Hey, is he up there?” She asked, referring to the front of the garage rather than the back room she was poking her head into.

“No, he is right here,” Dani had opened his mouth to speak but Vale beat him to it, leaning forward to wave her into the room from his perch on the couch. “Why are you here, cara mia?”

The question gave Maikki pause - really, she hadn’t needed to toddle over in her unzipped leathers but she had been behind the crash that took Vale out of the race. She followed Dani’s guiding hand into the back room where riders usually changed and took any quiet moments they needed before or after a race. Maikki used hers for a quick yoga practice and a change, where she knew she wouldn’t be interrupted by people with cameras as she endeavored to center herself before she rode. 

“Just wanted to check in. That looked nasty.”

“It was fucking nasty.” He sat in his scuffed leathers, legs splayed and is hands on his thighs. Valentino looked tired - more tired than he had in the years she had known him, through all the late nights and the hangovers. Maik swore in Finnish at the state of him - the elbow of his leathers had been chewed to bits, and the gravel had gotten a bite of the skin underneath. She bet the same went for his knee. Even a little tip into the grass like that could kill a rider, and they were never pleasant. Especially at speed. 

“Where is the medic? Shouldn’t you be picking gravel out of that?” She asked, falling into the couch next to him. 

“Probably. But I needed a minute.”

“Sorry to interrupt.”

“No, it’s fine. I feel like I’m going crazy. Is he really gunning for me or am I just a paranoid old man?” Valentino leaned his head back against the couch, looking toward her, his bright blue eyes narrowed. 

“You’re not paranoid, Vale. It’s like he snapped.” 

“Do you feel safe around him? On the track?”

“No.” 

“Are you going to say something?”

“No.”

“Why the fuck not?" Valentino's gaze was sharp, his brow wrinkled. She had seen that look before, but not directed at her. Sure, he had gotten upset with her before - well, stern - but this was something more than that. Actual anger.

"What am I supposed to say, Vale? I'm just a rookie. I can't get involved." Maikki sighed, reaching to steal a drink from his water bottle. Her hands really were tied, she mused as she sipped. "You've got a career and a reputation. I'm still building. The only reason I'm popular now is because I'm a woman. And I can easily become unpopular for being one, too.”

Valentino waved a hand at her, shaking his head as he considered what she had to say. She had seen it happen in other sports, on other fields. A woman complained about a nasty hit or poor conditions and suddenly she was a whiner, weak-willed and unable to put up with what the boys did. Even though the boys tended to whine more. A hand over his eyes, Valentino sighed, likely having considered her position just as quickly as she had. They had had this conversation before. 

"You're right. I'm just fucking pissed."

"Duly noted," Maik offered him the water bottle, checking the time. She still had to participate in the media scrum after the race followed by a few fan visits. “Shit, I have to run. Please see the medic?"

"I will." She stood, pulling her leathers up around her shoulders as she started to walk away. "Hey Maikki?"

She stopped, turning with one arm in a sleeve, struggling with the other, a questioning eyebrow raised.

"Thanks."

"For what?" Maik asked, accepting his hand to help pull him up off the couch. 

"Coming by," Vale settled a hand on her head and missed up her damp waves. Normally, she left them in the french braid she wore under her helmet, but today it had been so hot that she had undone it, hoping for some ventilation on her scalp. "Get a hat, will you? That looks gross"

"Hmm... Fuck you." She stuck out her tongue, giving the man a hard hug before she escaped out the back door, off to her interview.


	5. Chapter 5

Rubbing her temples, Maikki leaned against the bar, waiting for the bartender to bring her a drink. Scotch, on the rocks. It was how she was choosing to soothe her pain over the outcome of the race. At least for her, it wasn't literal pain. Poor Franco Morbidelli had tangled with Jorge Lorenzo and lost, and had been tossed off his bike again, losing several places as he tried to rejoin the race. 

She was soothing her wounds over a ninth-place finish, which was good but not good enough to bring her up into the running for the Championship, with alcohol. Valentino had informed her he would be soothing his wounds with "loose women," something he was apparently not so proud of.

"Whatever, Vale. At least you'll get laid. Look at this shit," She gestured to the population of the bar, biting her lip as she looked up at her friend and mentor. This happened all the time - there would be tons of women for the guys to pick from, because the field was all male except for her, and the only men around were generally other riders and their teams. Today, many of the latter were up in the VIP lounge. "There's, like, three men here,"

"I think you'll be fine, cara mia." He scratched the space between her shoulder blades fondly, scanning the crowd over the top of her head. "I'm going to go schmooze,"

"Yeah, yeah. You do you." She was used to sitting alone at after-race events anyway. It was a combination of her prickly nature - which got worse after a race, really - and an unapproachable look, with her tattoos and a bad case of resting bitch face. Sometimes, she would make an attempt and put on a dress, but today she hadn't felt like it, and lounged in a pair of moto leggings and a crop top, her hair wild. Sometimes, less effort had a way of working out for the small Finn.

Perched on a stool, Maikki shifted so she could sit on one foot, chatting with the bartender. She had struck out, but there had only been three actual prospects, anyway, so she wasn't too disappointed in herself. Someone tapped her shoulder, and she turned to frown at Marc Marquez, standing with a beer in hand.

"Hey," Maikki eyed him shrewdly, and turned back to the bar with her drink, an eyebrow still lifted. He slid in beside her to an empty seat.

"I wanted to talk to you," He began again in fragmented English, made worse because he had been drinking.

"What makes you think you should?" She shot back, barely tilting her head toward him as she replied in his native tongue. Her Spanish was much better than his English, even if it sounded more Italian these days. He seemed confused for a moment that he was speaking to him in his mother tongue, but he soldiered on.

"About the race,"

"And?"

"About the contact,"

"And?" Really, she was getting more furious by the minute, sitting with her head turned toward him, braced on her hand.

"I'm sorry."

"Are you, though?" Maikki turned toward him now, finishing her drink. "You didn't take me out, but you knocked over my friend.”

"And I tried to apologize to him, too."

“Very effective. Want to know a secret? He’s pissed.” She accepted her fresh drink from the bartender with a strangled smile before she turned back to Marquez. “So am I.”

“You should be. I should reign it in.”

“Only where it collides with other riders.” She considered for a moment, wondering exactly how reckless what she was about to say was. Maikki wasn’t known for being hesitant - she usually told others how she felt. “Otherwise, you ride beautifully. If I had half your talent in the wet I’d be in the running for the championship."

Marc fixed her with that disarmingly cute smile - devilish, like he was up to no good, but differently than Vale. Because Marc probably was up to no good. He thumped his hand against her bare shoulder, leaving his fingers against her skin for a few moments longer than they should have been there. 

“That’s a big compliment coming from the rookie of the year,” 

“If only,” Maikki mused, toying with the straw of her drink as she stared into his hypnotically chocolate brown eyes. “It’s not nearly half as spectacular as I wanted it to be.”

“But you’re honing in. I do watch other riders, you know,”

“Could have fooled me,” Maikki joked, laughing. Really the entire encounter was surreal, it had to be the fact that she was a few drinks in. She decided to be callous, letting her inner Cal Crutchlow out. "So, that's all? You came down from the lounge to tell me you were sort of sorry for crashing Vale?"

"Do I need another excuse to talk to a pretty girl?" Marc asked, a wicked eyebrow raised.

"Started off strong, crashed and burned when you called me a girl." She shook her head in wonder at his cluelessness. "Does that normally work for you?"

"Yeah, usually," He admitted, laughing. "Well, I'll try my backup. Want a shot?"

"I do, but don't get the wrong impression." Maikki shook her head ruefully, checking her phone to see a text from Vale.

‘Everything ok over there?’ She glanced over into the crowd, chewing on her lip as she looked for him, but couldn't spot him out. 

‘Under control.’ Where was he that he could see her with Marquez? Obviously, he wasn't having as much success as he had assumed he would. While she wasn't paying full attention to him, Marc had swooped into the seat beside her, ordered a pair of shots, and was back to gazing at her earnestly. Fuck, he might be an asshole on the track, but he was devilishly handsome.

Two shots later, Maikki was teasing Marc about his mistakes in practice.

"I mean, it's not fair. You don't crash out once the race starts."

"You've only crashed out once!" Marquez countered through his straw.

"I have never crashed out during a race. I can always get it back up."

"That's what she said," Maikki paused, trying to keep a straight face as she glared at the Spaniard for a long moment, before she cracked up, leaning on the bar. The place was starting to really kick into high gear - around 2300 hours on a Sunday, apparently, was when the French liked to throw down. She made a face as she looked around, looking for Vale but also assessing the size of the crowd that was starting to press in around them at the bar. For the most part, the pair had been left alone by fans, even though he was arguably the second most famous rider on the circuit, but she had a feeling that was about to change.

"Ugh, I think I'm going to go track down an inadvisable cigarette and a quieter bar," She commented, by way of dismissing herself. Marc wasn't so easily deterred.

"That sounds... not so bad, actually,"

"Did I invite you?" Maik asked, as she signed her check.

"No, but I have an annoying habit of inviting myself." 

"I guess I'll let you come with me," Maikki said, shrugging as if she hadn't hoped he would ask to come with her somewhere deep down. Not that she ever would have admitted to that.

Outside of a convenience store, Maik passed her lit cigarette into Marc's hand with a raised eyebrow, watching as he lifted it to his lips. She rarely smoked, but it seemed like he never did.

"Oh, no, you gotta inhale," She instructed, laughing as he spluttered a cough and passed the cigarette back to her.

"I think it's just not for me. I'm not that cool," Marquez laughed, leaning beside her against the low wall she had perched on. They were just outside of a small park, and like most of Le Mans, the city was gorgeous. Feet tucked under her thighs, Maikki was busy observing the city, but was acutely aware that Marc was busy observing her.

"It's a nasty habit that I shouldn't have ever picked up." She murmured, looking back up at Marc. They stared at each other for a long, tense moment, but even though Maikki felt like something was about to happen - and she hadn't quite figured out what - nothing did. 

"There are worse things."

Maikki paused as she rolled the cherry out of the butt of the cigarette, considering her next move.

"So tell me," She began, still not looking up at the other rider. "How are you two completely different people?"

"Excuse me?"

"On the track. It's insane. You're out for blood. Talking to you now, you're reasonable. You seem like you take responsibility for your actions. Why don't you do that on the track?"

He didn't answer, but sat beside her, his legs straddling the wall as he faced her, his hands stacked on top of one another with the palms up. Maik found herself reaching for one, absently, and he let her tangle her fingers in his, his head still bowed. 

"Alright, don't answer that. I understand what it's like, being on the bike. The need to win." She shook her head, letting go of his hand to reach for another cigarette.

A hand on her cheek turned her head and she didn't even have time to close her eyes before Marc's lips were on hers, his nose pressed into her cheek. Maikki stiffened for a moment before she let herself melt into his lips, losing herself against his warm hand. It took her brain time to catch up with her body and start shouting about the absurdity of what was going on.

"Wait," She pulled back so abruptly that Marc almost fell into her chest. He righted himself quickly, obviously confused. “What makes you think that I want -“

“I didn’t. I figured I could get one in before you go back to hating me forever.” 

“What the fuck does that even mean,” She murmured, pushing herself up and off the low wall. 

“I think you’re very attractive,” 

“But that doesn’t mean... whatever, Marc.” Maikki waved a hand as she pulled out her phone, intending to head back to the hotel. It was obvious this she had struck out, because even the thought of making out with Marquez seemed like an insanely terrible idea. 

“You kissed me back,” He was saying, obviously trailing behind her. 

“Can you see why that statement is problematic, Marc?” She asked, chewing her lip. Even though he was right, she didn’t like the idea that he could choose for her - choose that she was attracted to him. She voiced that, and heard him stop as she kept walking. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to -“

Maikki spun, a hand raised. Marc shrunk back away from her, ready to dodge a hit, before she sunk her fingers in his thick, dark hair and pulled his lips hungrily to hers. Now it was Marc’s turn to stiffen in confusion, but he recovered quickly and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close. 

After a few long minutes, they parted, staring at one another like each was a feral animal the other had to be wary of. 

“Do you want to come back to my place? Get off the street?” He asked tentatively, an eyebrow raised at Maikki. 

“We can head that way but I might not stay.”


	6. Chapter 6

Maikki had decided to stay.

The pair walked into the hotel room, poured a drink each, but hardly took a sip before he set on her, kissing her while he groped a handful of her ass. Maikki managed to put her drink down on the dresser before she sunk her hands into his hair, holding that impish grin close. Maik swore as he pulled her hips close into his.

His hands were more gentle than she had expected, Maikki mused as she stepped back, away from Marc so he could pull up her shirt. There was something dangerous about him - a reckless, arrogant air, which was absolutely juxtaposed with his tender appreciation of her breasts, massaging one with one hand and nipping at the other. She had expected him to be like he was on the track, a bulldozer, ready to knock her off her feet as he took what he wanted. 

"Mm, what is this?" He asked, tracing the sunflower on her side with his fingers, inspecting her tattoos.

"Sunflower."

"Why?"

"I like them. I like flowers, but they always die on me," She murmured, tipping his chin up with a black-nailed finger. 

Eagerly, he pressed his lips back to hers, parting from her only long enough to pull his shirt over his head. He wasn't that much taller than she was, it wasn't hard for her to reach for his lips. Maikki let one hand search his side, the other buried in his thick hair. His lips were sweet, soft but hungry. She let her eyes slip shut, enjoying the taste of him - a little smoke, a good deal of beer, something tangy.

Marc slipped his hand under her leggings, caressing the skin of the small of her back, the side of her hip. His fingers dug into the meat of her thigh under the crease of her ass as he pulled down her leggings and underwear in one fell swoop, leaving her almost naked under his touch. She had to help him pull down the fabric, and he took a step back, looking at her as if in appreciation as he undid his belt.

Maikki pressed her lips to his again, a hand on either side of his face as he pulled his pants off. She traced down the side of his chest, tracing the hard lines of his abs as she made her way to grab a handful of his dick, teasing him to hardness. He was already close, and he groaned against her lips. 

"Maikki," He purred her name in his sultry accent as he searched her body with hungry hands. Fuck, she wanted him.

Fuck, this was such a bad idea. 

She grabbed for his hip, pushing him back away from her as he started to press himself between her legs. 

"Condom," She murmured, admiring his gorgeous abs. Marc's brow furrowed as he pulled away, pacing to his bag. Had he not expected her to ask? He stood, one knee bent as he rolled the condom on, and glanced up at her with that shit-eating grin spread across his lips. God he was a jerk. Hopefully, a jerk who was good in bed. 

Marc pushed her back against the bed as he reached for her lips with his, gently caressing her cheek as he guided himself between her legs. 

He started off slowly, pressing into her a fraction of an inch at a time as he pushed her leg back toward her torso, taking full advantage of her yogi flexibility. That was just like Marc - if there was an advantage on the track he was going to find it and use it. 

Marc pressed her leg back, hooking his arm around her knee as he held her hips still. It wasn’t long before he pulled back, drawing her up by the shoulders. Maik couldn’t help but groan in protest - she was almost there, and now they were going to start all over again - until he pushed into her from behind roughly, his hands hard on her hips. 

“Fuck, Marc,”

“Already?” She could feel his smile as he pressed it into her shoulder, but she couldn’t find a witty response as his fingertips touched her clit, working in a circular motion. It was almost infuriating that he was good at everything - Maik had a feeling that if they hadn’t been drinking it would have been even better. 

He didn’t ask what she wanted, just kept pushing her closer and closer, asking her if his performance was satisfactory in so many words. 

When it came, her orgasm was like a high side accident. Maikki could feel her heart in her throat, gripping the sheets in front of her. Her moans didn’t deter Marc as he continued his thrusts - albeit faster and with less attention to her clit. He grabbed a handful of her breast, pulling her back to him in silence. She didn’t have a clue that he was even close until his teeth dug into her shoulder and his thrusts slowed. 

His kisses were tender on her neck as he pulled out of her, addressing his condom as she laid on the bed, trying to pull herself together. Fuck, he was good. His touch was gentle, soft enough to be electric on her skin.

“Marc,” He was throwing the condom out, but turned and glanced over his shoulder at her. Fuck, he looked exquisite, lips pursed and an eyebrow raised at her. Appraising her.

“I gotta clean up,” Romantic, she mused at his response as he crossed back, offering her a hand off the bed. He pulled her right into his arms, pressing his lips hard against hers as he held her close. “Want to join?”

“I should head back. Early flight.” Really, she just didn’t want to run into Valentino on the way back and have him asking her questions about where she had been. He would, she knew it, and he probably would judge her. Vale’s disappointment was the worst. That and it was always easier to shower at her own place. 

Marc looked disappointed but didn’t protest, running his hands through her hair as he pressed his lips against hers. Maikki enjoyed his abs, running her fingers down them to rest on his hips. 

“Don’t be a stranger, Maikki,” He murmured against the corner of her lips as he kissed her chin, tilting her head back with a hand still in her hair. 

How could she be a stranger after that?


	7. Chapter 7

After three more races, the feud between Valentino and Marc had grown to the point where riders were actually forced to take sides. At least, the higher-profile ones were. Vale had managed to win enough races to make up for his points deficit, and remained in the running for the Championship, but it seemed like Marc was actually gunning to take the older rider down. Meanwhile, Maikki was still trying to figure out why she had decided to sleep with the Spaniard at all, trying to justify a decision she didn't truly need to justify. Really, she just needed to make sure it didn't affect their interactions on the track.

Or her relationship with Valentino. That was her real worry.

In the middle of the eleventh lap in Mugello, Maikki was shocked to find a mapping 7 order on her board as she approached Valentino - defend your teammate. He was in sixth, looking to overtake Crutchlow, and Marquez was almost a quarter of a second behind her.

Fuck, and she had been looking forward to a battle with Valentino.

Instead, she obeyed her board, working into a route that left Marc revving in frustration behind her, searching for a gap. She gave Vale a little lead, just so he could be prepared if Marc managed to pass her, but the fight was brutal. He managed to pass her once, and she took back her spot on the next corner, focusing on remaining smooth and concentrated, under control.

It took Marc three corners to make another opportunity to pass, and it came on a medium fast left-hander, one she was sliding into. She was just tipping back up to take the fast right that immediately followed the corner when she felt a tire bash into hers.

Marquez had slipped between her and the right, but instead of accelerating clear of her line, he maintained a speed with her as she shifted over and pushed her front out with his rear tire. Maikki couldn't control the slide, and felt gravity drop as she was pitched over her bike into the corner, one hand on the handlebars. She didn't realize exactly what had happened until she hit the ground - hard enough for her in-suit airbags to inflate - and barely managed to fend off her bike as she skid out into the gravel beyond the curve.

She whacked into the boundary tires hard and immediately knew that she wasn't going to finish the race, mainly because the twisted heap of her M1 shot over the top of her head and into the walkway. 

Swearing, Maikki got to her feet as she performed a typical post-crash systems check, feeling her arms, legs, knocking her helmet. Fuck, she had never crashed out of a race in her entire career. Practices, sure. But in races she had always been able to recover, tip her bike back up and keep going, even if it meant a points loss.

Maikki waved off the marshals and started making her way back to the garages on foot, tearing off her gloves and helmet on the way. She was beyond upset, she was fucking livid, pitching her helmet at the back of the garage as she arrived, frowning at Aahto as he tried to intercept the rider.

"Hey, are you ok?" He grabbed her shoulders, holding her still.

"No, I'm fucking furious. That was dirty!"

"I know, Maik, but you gotta take a minute."

He was right, she knew, and she stalked into the back room of the garage to change out of her scuffed leathers, throwing them in a heap that she then kicked viciously.

The race was wrapping up before Maikki was calm enough to face the press, and maintained her lack of a comment under the direction of her press team. She was back in Cattolica before she knew it, still fuming after Race Direction's further decision not to punish Marquez. 

"It's not fair," She mused from behind the kitchen island at Vale's house, squinting past his curly head at the race footage on the television. 

"What's not fair?" He sat with Albi on the other side of the counter, reading through a contract line-by-line. Normally, this was something he did at his offices, but Albi had appeared unexpectedly, contract in hand, as Maikki was beginning to make dinner.

"How he just gets away with that," Maik gestured to the slow replay of Marquez kicking Aleix Espargaro, Vale, Dani and herself off the track with reckless maneuvers. "If it were me I'd have been suspended,"

"Yeah, sucks, doesn't it?" Vale's eyes were sharp as he glared at her, his lips pursed.

"Don't start with me. I still can't complain."

"You did though,"

"I said I was fucking furious, and that's not the same." Maikki stared down at the vegetables she was dicing, paying close attention to her knife to avoid slicing her fingers. She could still feel Valentino's glare until the man sighed and settled back into his bar stool. 

"I think it's fine, Albi." He sighed, and Maik watched him cross the kitchen to get a beer out of the fridge. Albi grunted his agreement.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll ship it back to them." He left the room, leaving Valentino leaning on the counter, watching Maikki chopped. She had a feeling he was about to say something, and it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Maik," She stopped cutting to slide the onions off into a bowl, pulling over a ridiculous bundle of asparagus. Cooking for a crowd was one of her favorite things, and chopping was a welcome distraction from how stormy Valentino's face was. "I wanted to ask you something,"

"Shoot,"

"Did you fuck him?" Her hands stopped for a moment, involuntarily shocked at how frank he was. Maik resumed sorting the asparagus, snapping the hard part of the stems off. It took her a moment to look up at Valentino, her gaze unwavering. She didn't see any reason to lie to him, it wasn't like he had ever lied to her.

"I did." She refused to be ashamed of her tryst with Marc. It had been enjoyable, she was probably going to do it again. Vale's face seemed to darken, and he frowned, shaking his head. "Why is it your business, Vale?"

"Really, Maikki? You're one of my friends. Part of the group. Don't you know how that looks?"

"Didn't know you were part of my PR team, Valentino," Maikki murmured, looking away to resume her work on dinner. "Or in charge of my body,"

"I just don't fucking get it,"

"Do you need to?" She asked, glaring at him defiantly as she dumped the excess stems into the trash, picking up her knife to begin chopping the veggie.

"I thought you respected me more than that," Frustrated, Maikki slammed the flat of her blade back on the cutting board. She couldn't look at him as she snarled her reply at the asparagus rather than her friend.

"And I thought you respected me. Period." Why was he even asking about this? Why did Vale feel like he had any skin in this game? Maikki slowly picked up her knife and began chopping again as Valentino sucked in a deep breath, turning away with his beer. He was gearing up to say something, she knew.

"Don't. Quit while you're ahead Vale." She murmured quietly, trying to quell her rage with the methodical movements of chopping veggies, making quick work of the rest of her asparagus as she moved on to a colander full of mushrooms. It took everything she had to keep chopping until Valentino left, walking out the back door to where she knew Dani, Uccio and Albi sat. 

Really, she did feel a little bit of regret for her "indiscretion" - mainly because word had already gotten around. She sighed, requesting something angry and heavy from the Alexa speaker tucked in the corner, and took her aggression out on the cutting board in front of her, chopping harder than she needed to until she started cooking. 

She was stirring together a sauce for the pasta and veggies when Dani slipped in the door, presumably to get more beer.

"He's pretty angry, you know." Maik hardly looked up, chewing on her lip as she stirred. "He shouldn't be, but he is."

"You don't think so?" She asked absently, adding a squeeze of lemon before she tasted her sauce.

"Nope. Have you ever cared who he sleeps with?" Dani asked, opening a fresh beer. Maikki glanced over her shoulder, eyebrows raised, bewildered.

"Why the fuck would I care?" 

"Aw, are you young or just dumb?" Dani was prodding now, she knew, so she aggressively ignored his comment. Maikki started to transfer her dinner to the serving dish, directing Dani to grab plates. "Poor Vale and his unrequited love,"

"Fuck off,"

Dani didn't reply as he pressed his back into the door, bringing the plates. Maikki tried not to look at Vale askance as she laid the food on the table, thought it probably would have been warranted after his behavior.


	8. Chapter 8

The ninth race of the season found the field in Barcelona, Marquez's home turf. Maikki had been apprehensive about the race, but it had been tame - compared to the rest of the season. Maikki had finally gotten the dogfight she had so desired from Valentino, and even though he had won it had been a hard-fought and fun battle for fourth and fifth. Marquez had been on his best behavior since sanctions after the Italian GP, and Maikki had only run into him "extracurricularly" once since France.

That wasn't to say she wouldn't have been open to it, she had just been busy.

"Are you coming out with us?" Valentino asked as he and Maik made their way into the hotel with their collective entourage.

"If only to keep my mind off how much of my day is about to be in Missing the Apex," Maikki murmured, shaking her head as they stormed the elevator. He squeezed her shoulder with a grin, shaking his head.

"To be fair, you kind of fell on the flag to flag,"

"You watched the video?"

"Of course I did. Uccio showed me." She waved a hand at him as she got off the elevator, heading to her room for the night.

The riders stayed in RVs during the races, but afterwards, flight and appearance schedules often dictated that they stay in a hotel overnight as their entourages left. Maikki's team had packed up the RV and the rig that hauled her bikes and her garage decor and basically dropped her and Astrid off at the hotel. She had an appearance for Yamaha the next day, and a photo shoot after that. Then she would be testing in Misano. Really, she just wanted to get back to the Ranch and train, and not think about Marquez or any of this circus.

Apparently, that wasn't an option.

Fresh from the shower, she was searching for something to wear for a casual trip to the hotel bar with Valentino when her phone buzzed, interrupting her music. 

Still in town? It was an interesting way to phrase a bootycall, but Marc's text made her smile all the same.

"That little shit," She murmured, answering the text in the affirmative.

‘Got plans tonight?’

Maikki dressed, considering her answer as she pulled on a pair of black jean shorts and a strappy tank top. It was far too hot in Barcelona to wear her usual athleisure clothes, and she was feeling like showing a little leg, anyway. 

‘Going out with my team. Where are you staying?’

‘At my apartment.’ Oh, right. Duh. It would stand to reason that Marquez maintained a base so near to his hometown. That would be a new acquisition, because all the news articles on him said he lived with his parents. All the better to train with his best friend - his brother. Maikki rolled her eyes at herself, assessing her hair in the mirror, tousling the loose curls leftover from her riding braid. 

‘I could come over for a drink, after dinner.’

‘You should. Requests?’

‘Something vodka.’ He provided her his address, and she tried not to smile like a girl as she went downstairs, looking for her teammates and dinner.

"So? Where do you want to go?"

"I actually think I'm going to stay," Valentino raised an eyebrow at her as she tucked into her wrap, making short work of it. "What?"

"I don't believe you, but I'm not going to stop you."

"Stop me from what?" She asked quietly, as the conversation raged around them.

"You're gong to see Marc, aren't you?"

"Vale,"

"I didn't say anything, Maikki. I won't. You already know how I feel about this," Maikki chewed her lip, looking up at him as he yanked his earring. He only did that when he was angry, she knew, or stressed. She wasn't sure why she cared about his opinion on her seeing Marquez really, but here she was, caring in his general direction with her eyebrows knit. Vale was saying an awful lot for not saying anything at all, she mused as he turned to talk with one of their techs.

An hour and a half and a few drinks later, Maikki ordered her Uber as the guys started to figure out what they wanted to do for the evening. 

Marquez's apartment was in a large, modern-looking building overlooking the harbor. It was intimidatingly expensive-looking, but she didn't think that was what Marc was going for, really. He had texted her his apartment number, and said that the security desk was expecting her. Taking a deep breath, Maik walked inside, head held high. 

The security officer operated the elevator for her, using a key card to send her up to the fifteenth floor. This was absolutely a damn sight fancier than her walk-up apartment in Cattolica, that was for sure, but then again Marc made significantly more money than she did. Maik fidgeted with the strap of her small purse as she waited for the elevator to ding, leaning against the back wall.

The elevator opened to a marble foyer, where there were three halls to choose from. Perfect. 

“Marc?”

“In the kitchen,” His call was far away. She could smell what had to be the remnants of his dinner. Marc wasn’t a hugely social creature, so she wasn’t surprised he would have eaten in his own. However, saying he was in the kitchen was the opposite of helpful, Maik mused as she stared down the center hallway. 

“And where the fuck is that?” 

“Oh!” It was as if he didn’t know his apartment would be impossible for someone new to navigate without guidance. Maikki listened to his light footsteps, facing the door frame his head popped out of. “Hola, senorita,” 

She reached for his hand, wrapping her fingers around his as he led her back into the house. It was ultramodern, mostly white with splashes of red and orange, which didn’t truly surprise her. One of his winning bikes was tucked into a corner - it looked like a 250, so potentially his first MotoGP series bike. She made a note to ask about it as he led her to the kitchen. 

“I was just finishing dinner,” Maikki could see that. A healthy-looking dinner, at that. 

“You know, if you added a little tamari or something to that salmon it’d be a lot tastier,” Marc glanced up at her as he shoveled the rest of his plate into his mouth, leaving her to explore the kitchen and adjoining living room. She loved open kitchens, and his was particularly gorgeous. 

“How do you know I didn’t?”

“I’m a chef, muurahainen. I can smell it.” Maik called as she inspected the bike propped against the wall, running her fingers over the handlebars. 

“Food is just fuel. If I cheat too much I’ll get fat,” Marc was behind her, his arms wrapped around her chest. “And what did you just call me?”

“It’s Finnish. For ant.” He pulled her hair out of the way so he could kiss her neck, his lips spreading electricity across her skin. She loved that little tingle, the thrill of something basically forbidden. Frowned upon, at the least. She wasn’t usually a rule breaker, so there was an unfamiliar adrenaline in his touch. 

“Cute. How do you say it?” Maikki walked him though the pronunciation, his lips pressed against her skin as he repeated the words, trying to get it right. This was where his perfectionist shone through - that and in the bedroom. So focused. So precise. Doggedly persistent until he got it right. 

“How about that drink?” He murmured finally, pulling away from her. Marc had her primed and ready, just where he wanted her for the night she was sure. Burning for him. He was so patient. 

“What do you want? I didn’t know so I got a little bit of everything,” Maik followed him to the bar off the kitchen - really just an extension of the kitchen island and cabinets. 

“You didn’t have any alcohol?”

“I don’t keep it in the house usually.”

“Sorry to break your habit,” Maik teased, looking over the collection he had amassed as he ran his hands over her stomach under her tank top. “This is nice scotch, Marc,”

“I know, I’ve seen you drink it before.”

“Just a bit of light stalking,” Maikki mused quietly, leaning her head back into his shoulder. 

“Just a good memory.” He shrugged and reached past her to take the scotch from his shelf. “Rocks?”

“Let me see your ice cubes.”

All this space and they were still occupying the same three feet of space as she requisitioned a satisfactory amount of ice in a crystal rocks glass. He raised an eyebrow at her while he poured as she settled onto the kitchen island. 

“Is that your Derbi Honda?” Maikki asked as she accepted the glass from him. 

“Yeah, my first championship.”

“I have mine too, in the living room.” She lounged on the counter as he touched her hip, his drink in the other hand. “What did you do with all the rest of them?”

“In a garage at my parent’s house. Too many now,” Maik couldn’t help but laugh - he was so matter of fact about this. One of the winningest careers in MotoGP, of course he had as many bikes stored away as he did titles. She did too, tucked away in a storage unit in Cattolica. 

“When did you move out?” 

“I bought this place when I moved to GP. So I was twenty?” He leaned on the counter between her legs, his glass perched on her knee. “It’s easier to train with my brother. So I’m not here too much.”

“Well it’s a nice place,” Maikki murmured, tracing her fingertips down his cheek. His jaw was so sharp it should have come with a warning label, she mused to herself as she bent to press her scotch-covered lips to his. 

“Do you want to see the rest of it?” 

Marc took her by the hand, leading her on a tour of his bedroom and almost exclusively his bedroom.


	9. Chapter 9

It had all started off so genuine and sweet - there was occasional hand holding, sometimes a stolen kiss. The unbridled jealousy of other riders, Valentino’s temporary rage when he found out. But as time wore on, it started to get... odd. 

He was controlling, but in an strange way. She found herself sitting in her hotel room or RV, waiting for him when he’d go out. It only took a few incidents like this for Maikki to call it quits for the first time. But after a time she went back to him despite her better judgement. They were just so compatible in bed... even though Maikki knew she could rope in whoever she wanted to if she put her mind to it. 

If they clashed on the track, he was likely to take it out on her - in a very satisfying, rough sex sort of way. Or he could just ignore her entirely, leave her sitting alone. She wouldn’t put up with it, and would go out with Vale or Mav. She’d end up back in his bed anyway. Back in Tavullia - because they never really spent time together outside of the MotoGP circus - Valentino and the rest of the guys would ask her what she saw in him. She never had an answer. The cycle continued. 

Their fellow riders were kind enough not to throw them under the media bus, because what would they even say? They fucked a lot? It was a question Maikki found herself pondering at odd moments, like before races. Was it all just a very elaborate way to get in her head? It had to be. 

All in all, Marc and Maikki dated - well, slept together, really, she couldn't call it dating - under the radar for almost two years, one whole season and a bit of confusion, semi-mind games. Maik didn’t know this game as well as Marquez. She knew he was sleeping with other women, too. Really, she still didn't understand why she put up with it at all, why she stayed "faithful" to him.

The breaking point came when Maik took second in Germany, behind Vale, who was making what might be his final bid for the Championship. At least, that was what the tabloids were speculating. The press always said that at his age, every race was a bid for the championship, and every bid for the championship could be his last.

Come out with me. Maikki stared at her phone, at the text from Valentino. She was fresh from the shower after their press appearances, all the photo ops in her sweaty leathers, and scrubbed a towel through her hair as she read the text that had interrupted her music.

‘I don't know, I'm so tired’

‘Bullshit. You owe me a drink for turn 4. Come out.’

He had a point. It had been a particularly risky pass, taking Valentino on the inside of the extended corner before she took off. With a sigh, Maikki started looking for clothes.

‘Fine. I'm getting dressed.’ Vale sent back a thumbs up emoji as Maikki hurried to prepare herself. 

Valentino and company - including some of her own mechanics, his social circle knew no bounds - were waiting at the hotel bar with a shot prepared just for her, and she planted a kiss on his curly head before she took the shot, asking for a new one immediately.

"Where are we going?"

"Looking like that? My bedroom," Vale joked, an arm loosely around her waist. She didn't think she was wearing anything abnormal, though it was outside of her usual leggings and a slouchy top - she had upgraded the leggings for torn black jeans and added a pair of combat boots. An eyebrow raised, she took her second shot.

"I don't know, cara mia, you're the only one of us that speaks a lick of German,"

"Not true. Hannes is Austrian," She pointed at one of her mechanics, Johannes, who was, in fact, from Innsbruck.

"I thought he was Polish," Valentino shrugged, scrolling through his phone with his arm still comfortably around Maikki's waist. Strange, but she didn't feel the need to shrug it off, it was comfortable. "How about here?"

"That's a nightclub, Vale." She reached to press her finger to his phone screen, parsing a street over to something that sounded more like a pub. "How about here? It's called Schlappen,"

Vale took his phone back as Maikki stole a sip of his water glass, reading about the pub. 

"Maik, I would have figured you for a club girl, really," Alex, an Australian and one of one of Valentino's senior mechanics, noted. Maikki raised an eyebrow at him, and started to ask him why just as Vale was standing up out of the chair beside her.

"I called an Uber," Maikki raised an eyebrow at him as he patted her head, brushing past her. She fell in step with Hannes, chatting with him about the performance of her bike even though racing was one of the last things on her mind at that moment.

Her decision had been a good one - the pub was comfortably full, with plenty of space at the bar for the group to squeeze into. Maikki secured herself a beer and leaned against the wall, watching the guys carouse. She had missed this, she mused as Valentino showed her a text saying that Luca and Pecco were going to join them, grinning brightly. 

"What's on your mind?" He asked her, as she smoked a cigarette outside the pub, considering an angry text from Marc. He had realized she wouldn't be around that evening, waiting for him, and was not amused. Chewing her lip, she looked up at Vale.

"I... Ah, it doesn't matter. You don't want to hear about it anyway." She murmured, glancing over at the hubbub of other riders arriving with a few friends in tow. Luca and Pecco had brought Mattia and Remy, her former teammate. Maik was glad to see him, but after she greeted the trio and was introduced to the quintet of women with them, she found herself still distracted thinking of the text. Valentino, it seemed, hadn't forgotten either.

"Come on, why are you frowning at your phone?" He paused, taking her cigarette from her fingers. "Dumb question. What have you done now?" His tone was sarcastic, but she knew he was judging her, angry that she put herself through the mental distress for someone he didn't care for. 

"I don't know, won I guess." She took the smoke back, pocketing her phone so she could pick up her beer. She didn't need to look at it anymore.

"Why do you put up with it, mia stellina?" Vale had asked her the question a million times, but it seemed like he was ready to ask it a million more. "You can do better,"

"You just don't like him."

"That's true, but there's more to it." He frowned, looking down at her. "Fine. I try not to judge, because I’ve realized it's not my business. But he's sucked the fun right out of my cara mia, and I hate it."

"You say that like being boring is the worst thing in the world," She didn't want to admit he was right.

"Isn't it, though? It's beyond boring. It's just not you." Valentino finished his beer, raising an eyebrow at her, before he sighed. There was an air of disappointment to him, which was even worse that her own self-judgement. "I'm going inside."

He turned, and took two steps before she managed to call his name - quietly, probably just barely audible over the clatter of people walking past on the pavers, the loud semi-drunken conversations of people at the bar. Vale stopped, waiting as she wrapped her fingers around his arm. 

"You're right."


	10. Chapter 10

The fallout of her decision had been spectacular almost immediately - she had ignored a few more pushy texts from Marc, flirted with every man in the bar, and finally sent the crushing news via text that she was done. It was probably something Maikki should have said in person, but she couldn't trust herself to get it done on her own. She would have given in, probably would have gone to bed with him.

Later that night - actually, early the next morning - Maikki laid on the balcony with her legs hanging over the edge, smoking. Valentino was perched on the table, his feet on the chair, and his chin on his palm as he watched her.

"You don't have to stay here with me, you know. I know you have... prospects," Maikki murmured, crushing out the cigarette and rolling onto her side to look up at the ten-time world Champion, her head on her fist. 

"Ah, I haven't been bringing half of them home anyway. Fuck, I'm old and tired, Maik. This is my last bid for the Championship, haven't you heard?" The lighthearted gallows humor made her giggle and reach for the beer she had been drinking. 

"Well, fuck. This proves it, I need to quit racing and purchase a ton of cats." Valentino raised an eyebrow at the melodramatic blonde, shaking his head.

"Keep your audience in mind, Maik. I'm, what, a decade older than you?" Maikki smiled mischievously before she answered.

"Fifteen years. You could have kids my age if you tried hard enough."

"Oh, don't be cute, cara mia. I could absolutely have kids your age." He grinned, shaking his head wryly. "You know half the field was jealous of Marquez,"

"Because he's got as good a chance as you to win the Championship this year?" She wasn't done with being cute, she decided, downing her beer as she got to her feet. Valentino was about to say something witty in reply, but she waved a hand. "I know what you meant, but I'm sure you're wrong."

"I don't think so, Maikki. You underestimate your contemporaries - we're not celebrity Casanovas, we're a bunch of bike nerds."

"Including you?" Sometimes, it was hard to get a read on Vale. There were occasions - before she started dating Marc - where she wondered if he might be hitting on her. It wasn't like there was anything either of them could do if he was, he was her teammate. they were friends and coworkers. Strictly off limits.

"Including me," But there was something in his eyes. "But you're my teammate. To them, you're a hot piece of ass on a bike."

"I work hard to look good in the overalls, you know." She joked, leaning on the wall by the sliding glass door of the hotel suite. "I've just very recently realized it's a very bad idea to covertly date other riders."

"It wasn't so covert."

"Yeah well. Neither was he. He cheated on me.”

“How did you find out?” Vale asked tentatively, reaching for the cigarette. She passed it to him, their fingers brushing together for a moment. 

“He gave me chlamydia. Of course he apologized and laid it all out there but it was never the same after that.” Maikki noted Vale’s raised eyebrow, his facial expression that obviously questioned why she put up with it. “Oh don’t give me that look, Valentino. The sex was worth it.”

“I bet.” He muttered, shaking his head as he gave the cigarette back. “I remember being a young rider, world in the palm of my hand.”

“Giving girls STIs...”

“None of that, thankfully. Even though I wasn’t exactly careful. One day he’ll settle down.”

“I don’t really care, to be honest.” Maikki murmured through the butt of the cigarette. “Being a bad sport is worse than cheating. To me. This is my life, and there’s no room in it for unsupportive dickwipes.” 

“Dickwipes. I like it.” Vale passed Maik a freshly opened beer. 

“Douchenozzle. Scum filter. Human spark plug.”

“Oh, always fouling when you need it most?”

“Exactly.” Maikki sighed, dropping into a crouch and to her seat, her bare back pressed against the stucco of the building. “Oh, well. My own fault, I can only call him a little shit for so long.”

“There are better men out there for you, kiddo.” Vale patted her shoulder gently from his perch on the table, reaching her easily with a long arm.

“Ah, it’s not important. I’m twenty four. Not important yet. And I’m contractually obligated to not get pregnant. So this helps.”

Valentino laughed, climbing to his feet before he offered her a hand. 

“Come on. I think it’s time for bed. It’s not a quick drive tomorrow.” Vale joked as he set the beer down on the coffee table and collapsed onto the couch. Maikki followed suit, bringing the remotes for the television with her. 

“I figured you’d drive - I beat you.” She stared at the array of remotes in front of them. “Let’s see if I can make this work -“

Valentino leaned forward and pressed the power button on all three remotes at once, starting the TV but not the volume. Which was a good thing, because it was tuned to a channel that showed soft porn late at night. Giggling, Maikki swatted his hands away from the remotes and changed the channel. It turned the volume on. Now the pair were both laughing, fighting for the remote. Vale won, because the remote in his hand happened to be the one that controlled he channels, and started flipping channels as Maikki settled back into the sofa, reaching for the blanket on the back of the couch to wrap around her shoulders.

Her anger at Marc was starting to turn to sadness that their relationship was over - even though she was the one who had done it, and even though it wasn’t terribly wonderful. It was still almost two years of her life wasted. 

"Top Gear!" She pointed over Valentino's shoulder. He turned the channel back. "Oh, new Top Gear. Never mind."

"It's not new,"

"It's not Clarkson, May and Hammond,"

"Yeah it is, just wait." Vale leaned back into the couch, noting how Maikki had curled up with the blanket over her shoulders, arms around her legs, her knees by her chin. "You ok, Maik?"

"Just... A little sad, I guess. The anger phase is wearing off." He offered his open arm to the Finn, and she tucked herself under it, head resting on his shoulder as she chewed her lip. She was not going to cry on Valentino Rossi’s shoulder, she thought resolutely, no matter how close they were. 

“Hey, it’s ok cara mia.” He stroked her hair gently, brushing it behind her ear. That did it, and the blonde found herself weeping into Vale's shoulder as he held her tightly.

She fell asleep against his chest on the couch, and hardly noticed when he smoothed her hair back from her face and kissed her forehead before he leaned back to fall asleep with the smaller rider in his arms.


	11. Chapter 11

Immediately following their breakup, Maikki had the audacity to beat Marquez again and take his spot on the podium with her teammate, Valentino. Márquez ended up as third, even though he had certainly raced well enough for first or second, but hadn’t been able to pass either of the Yamaha riders. 

“Maikki, this is your first win at Masaryk, how do you feel?”

“I am very happy, we’ve really hit our stride this season I think. I really think we could be heading for the championship.”

After smiling for pictures, Maikki sat sidesaddle on the back of a scooter behind Vale as they shuffled back to their paddocks and then the hotel. 

“Did you want to go out tonight?” Mav asked in the lobby as the trio and a good deal of their crew waited for the elevators. 

“Why wouldn’t I?” Maik asked, frowning at her teammate. She could sense that Valentino was motioning over her head but sighed, turning into the elevator. “No, boys, I do want to go out. But I need a few minutes to get ready so just let me know where you’re going and I’ll see you there.”

“How long does it take to change?” Once again, Valentino was shaking his head behind hers, but this time she could see it in the mirror. 

“Yeah, I’m getting a little more gussied up tonight, Mav.” Honestly, He could be so thick sometimes. She appreciated his concern after the abrupt breakup, but Maikki wasn’t sure how to express that laying around watching rom coms and eating chocolate wasn’t her idea of healing. 

“Why?”

“I’ll explain it when you’re older, kid.” Valentino stepped in smoothly, clapping a hand on Mav’s shoulder as they got off the elevator. “Text me when you’re ready, Maik, I’ll wait. Got some emails to answer anyway.”

“Thanks, Vale.” Maikki waved as she ducked into her room, darting right to the shower. Start to finish, she could get ready in an hour if she rushed, so she turned on her music and got to work. 

As she shimmied into her underthings, there was a knock at the door. 

“One minute,” She called, yanking on an over-sized MK66 shirt to cover her to the knees. Maikki peeked out to see Vale leaning on the door frame, texting. 

“Impatient much?” Maik asked, pulling the door open for the Italian rider, letting him into the room as she padded back into the bathroom. Valentino sighed as he walked in, throwing himself down on the bed with a huff. 

“Maverick left. I finished my emails. It’s been an hour.” He had always been a stickler for schedules - he never accepted estimated time frames and would instead stick to what he had been told like the gospel. The man did not like to waste time or sit around. 

The line of being friends and teammates had always been blurred between the two riders. Even as employee/employer, they hadn’t ever truly followed the regular order of operations - always been too friendly and far too close. Maikki tried to chalk it up to a brother-sister relationship, but even she knew she was just humoring herself. 

“So impatient,” Maikki reiterated, crossing to her suitcase to pull out her outfit for the evening. She picked out the clothes and recklessly changed with her back turned - it wasn’t like Valentino Rossi, dater of Italian Supermodels, would be ooglig the back of the entirely average blonde from Finland, anyway.

“You know, if you arrive too late all the good ones have already been picked off,” Valentino teased, sitting up on the bed. She could feel his eyes on her back as she pulled a cropped top on, adjusting her bra underneath it as she turned. 

“I’m sure that happens to you all the time,” She smiled wryly, mussing up her hair. “How do I look?” Maik knew she was teasing her friend as he drank her in, grinning at her as he rose off the bed. 

“Fuckable, if that’s what you’re going for,” Vale’s comment was dry as he made his way to the mini bar. “A shot?”

“Of course. Something vodka-like.” He produced two overpriced airplane bottles from the fridge, passing one to Maikki. “Kippis,”

“Salute, cara mia,”

They proceeded downstairs together to the Uber Vale had called, laughing together on their way to the nearby bar where the riders had gathered. Well, most of them, anyway. It seemed Márquez had made himself scarce that evening. Maikki hoped he was sitting at home, miserable and alone like he had made her so many nights. It was a little vicious, but true. 

It didn’t take the pair of Yamaha riders long to get to the bar. Even so, it seemed Valentino’s adage had been correct - the good ones were already taken. The guys that were left were ones she wouldn’t mind chatting with, but wasn’t about to take to bed. It seemed like the same metric applied to Vale, who halfheartedly chatted with a few of the women who approached him, but in the end he was standing with her at the bar as she lit a cigarette. 

“Well, fuck,” Maik murmured, taking a long drag of her cigarette, watching as the place started to clear out just before closing. “That could have gone better,”

“You’re telling me, cara mia,” Vale reached for the cigarette, “I’m not used to that.”

“I believe that. So what now? I’m not ready to call it a night.”

“Ah, now you’re speaking my language,” The champion laughed, turning to order the pair a shot. Or attempted to. 

“Oh, god Vale. Is that all the German you have?” Maikki asked, stealing her cigarette back from the Italian rider as she apologized to the bartender on his behalf smoothly. “What do we want?” 

“Red headed slut. My favorite,” The title gave her pause as she figured out how to translate his request, her tipsy mind torn between translating and her quip. She wasn't incredibly great at German - she had enough to make her way around the country unaided, but not so much that it was particularly easy for her to figure out what to say when she wasn't incredibly sober.

“Thank you. And I bet redheaded sluts are your favorite, Vale,” She laughed, perching on one of the stools at the bar as they waited for the shot. 

“Fuck you! I prefer brunettes.” The bartender brought them two shots each, and Maikki thanked him even as she was frowning. 

“Well, shit. That’s how I get fucked up,” She glanced up at Vale, offering the room of her shot glass. “Salute?”

“Kippis,” He grinned, tossing back the shot she had to take in two gulps. She hissed a gasp as he took the cigarette from her, chewing her lip as the jaegermeister burned its way down her throat. 

“God that is not good. But also wonderful,” She grinned finally, pulling out a fresh cigarette. She paused to apologize for the fact that the pair were still in the bar as they were trying to close, offering her card before Valentino clamped a hand over hers and handed the bartender his. 

“Ask for one more shot on that,” 

“But not a slut,”

“Not if you don’t want a slut,” He laughed at the absurdity of his statement as she relayed his request in German to the bartender, asking for a shot called blue balls. 

“Here,” She picked up the second redheaded slut, looking up at the rider who had ended up entirely too close to her. 

They cheered each other once more, tossing the shots back as the last one came with the check. Whatever the tip should have been meant nothing to Vale as he scratched in a ridiculous sum, probably for the bar’s trouble. 

“How far is the hotel?” Maikki asked absently, fingering the last shot in front of them. “I’m hoping there’s, like, a pizza place or something on the way,”

“God I hate pizza,” Valentino picked up the last shot, clinking the edge of his glass on hers. They both tossed it back, taking their cigarettes out the door. 

Vale’s arm rested over her shoulders as they walked, and snuck down to her waist as they shared a donner kebab. She didn’t know what to think, even if her mind had been clear she would have had trouble figuring out what was going on, but she let him tuck her into his side. Honestly, she was too drunk to think about what may or may not be inappropriate - and, even more honestly, she wouldn’t have cared. She had always been attracted to the man, but he was incredibly off limits. 

They ended up on her balcony, passing a cigarette and a bottle of vodka between them. 

“I’m disappointed. Not a great return to the single world,”

“Ah, cara mia. You’re fine.”

“Don’t I know it. And, apparently, terrifying.” She smiled at her own quip and paused to pull her hair back, cigarette clamped between her teeth. 

Valentino’s fingers interrupted her. He pushed her hair tie back onto her wrist and took the cigarette. Once again, the man was incredibly close to her, and once again she couldn’t say that she cared. 

“Not terrifying. I think you’re looking for intimidating.” 

Maikki took the vodka from him, taking a long pull from the bottle. 

“It sucks.” She murmured, trading him for the cigarette, letting her hand rest on his forearm for too long. Vale set the bottle down on the little table behind him, and pushed her hair behind her ear. 

“You’ll be fine, cara mia.” His breath was warm on her forehead, their bodies too close. Maikki gripped his forearm tightly, with a sigh, flicking the cigarette over the tall balcony rail. He tilted her chin up, and for a long, tense moment they stood there - their bodies pressed together against the balcony, their faces so close that their noses touched. 

Maikki felt like her body was radiating heat where it was pressed against his, her breath coming quickly. 

“Mia stellina,” Their lips were so close that they brushed together when he spoke. With a shaking breath, she pulled hers just far enough away from his that she couldn’t feel the tingle of his skin so close to hers. 

“Valentino, I can’t - I can’t make this decision right now.” She gripped his forearm tightly though, her body craving what her head knew was a mistake. Had to be a mistake. 

“I know, Maikki,” He murmured, turning his head slightly, his lips against the corner of her mouth for the most fleeting second as he did. 

“You know why,” Maikki murmured, leaning back against the balcony, letting go of his forearm. She reached for another cigarette out of her back pocket. 

“I do. That doesn’t make me want you less. Just... reminds me why I shouldn’t.” He pulled away and rolled his shoulders out in the flannel he wore unbuttoned over a t-shirt. He was still close enough to light her cigarette for her, tucking the lighter in the front pocket of his flannel. “I’m sorry, Maikki, I shouldn’t take adv -“

“Oh, knock it off, Valentino. I’m not a kid. Anything I let you do is because I want you to.” She sighed, rubbing her temples with her fingertips, cigarette between her fingers. “But I don’t get to think about myself all the time. I have to think about my career, my team,”

“That’s very selfless of you, cara mia.”

Maikki laughed at his sarcasm, letting her head tilt back between her shoulder blades. He was teasing her, grinning at her as he settled into one of the chairs at the table, his leg over the arm of the chair. 

“So selfless. I get to fuck anyone I want - just not you.”

“Lesson learned from Marc?” He asked, taking a sip of the vodka. 

“Kind of. I’m fucking sick of people saying I don’t deserve what I have - that I fucked my way to the top. So I won’t.”

“Far being from me to knock anyone for being a shrewd businessman.” Valentino laughed, shaking out his curls. “I’ll try not to be a dick again. But I’m not letting off the hook - you’re still my friend.”

“You know you’re lucky you’re cute,” She laughed, pushing off the railing to cross the balcony, plopping in his lap to lean against his leg over the arm of his chair. “Yeah, I’m still your cara mia.”

“The fucking worst,” Valentino laughed, trading the cigarette for booze.


	12. Chapter 12

“What is that?” 

Maikki glanced up from chopping veggies in Valentino’s kitchen to glance at Mattia Pasini and Axel Pons, two Moto2 riders who were taking advantage of Valentino’s facilities on their brief summer break before they all headed to Silverstone. Valentino himself had just gotten back from Ibiza the night before, and was most likely still asleep. At least, Maikki hadn’t seen him yet. 

“This is an American Chili. You’ll like it.”

“I mean, I always like what you cook, Maik, but what the fuck?” Axel leaned on the counter, an eyebrow lifted. Damn, that man was eye candy, Maikki mused as she diced her third onion for the vat of chili she was making. 

“I learned it in Austin. It makes a lot. And there’s a lot of you assholes - I mean, lovely boys - here right now to feed.” She grinned, waving a hand at him. “Will you two go shower or something? You smell like a sewer.”

“As the lady wishes,” Maittia declared dramatically, disappearing down the hall that led to the bedrooms. After a shared eye roll, Axel left, too, and Maikki was left in peace with her chili. She managed to get the pot on when a very hungover Valentino made his way into the kitchen, draping himself over the island. 

“I am dying, cara mia,” 

“All the men here are drama queens,” Maikki murmured, shaking her head. “Here, have some of my smoothie,”

She handed Vale the remainder of her lunch smoothie, a green concoction. Vale lifted his head just enough to get the straw in his mouth for a sip and set off sprinting down the hall to his room. 

“Drama. Queens.”

“What did you do to him?” Axel was back, freshly showered, shirt draped over his shoulder. Sometimes, it seemed like the guys would all walk around in their underwear if it wasn’t for her occasional presence. 

“He had some of my smoothie,” Axel picked up the cup and took a big gulp, finishing it off. 

“Bit warm. Bit kale-y. Not bad.”

“Appreciate it. You here for lunch?” He nodded, staring deeply into the fridge. 

“Sandwiches?” He asked. 

“Sandwiches.” She confirmed with a nod, settling on the counter to kick her toes, looking at the pot on the stove. 

“You coming out to ride someday or are you just cooking all day?” Axel stared at her levelly, his bright blue eyes setting fire to her cheeks. 

“Yeah, I’m coming out for the afternoon shift. You guys riding flat track or motocross?”

“Flat track.”

“So motocross for me today,” Maikki grinned, jumping off the counter to turn down the heat on the stove as her pot started to boil. She glanced around the kitchen, toying with her phone as she considered where she was with her meal. “Yup, I think I’ll head out. See you on the track?”

“Hm. Switch from flat track to motocross?” He paused, picking up the crumbs from his sandwich wrapper with a finger. “The things I do for beautiful women,”

“Forward,”

“Usually pays off.”

“We’ll see about that. This is a game of skill, not a game of aggression,” Maikki was shocked at how hard he had chosen to flirt, so she gave it right back in spades. Her need to avoid the trope of sleeping her way to the top didn’t include Moto2 riders, right?

The pair trudged toward the garage to change, and Maikki had to ignore the itching feeling of his eyes on her back as she raided her locker to put on gear meant for the warm weather. Motocross gear was intrinsically cooler than her leathers, but it was hot outside. She braided her hair down her neck, securing it with the flourish of tossing it over her shoulder. 

“Well, kid?” She asked as she turned, plucking at the chest protector she wore over her shirt. A lot of the guys liked to wear it under, but it was so much easier to tear off between sessions this way. Then again, the guys usually just liked to take off their shirts. 

“Don’t call me kid, I’m older than you are.” Not by much, Maikki mused, but admitted he had an irrefutable point as he threw an arm over her shoulders. 

“You know, if you’re going to hang out with me you’re going to take some abuse.”

“Compensating for something?” He asked offhandedly, reaching for his motocross helmet on the wall. She was glad hers was halfway down the row from his or he probably would have tried to hand it to her - a huge pet peeve. 

“Yeah, the size of my dick.” She called, giving her bike a once over, hitting it with her hip as she stared into the fuel tank, deciding she needed to top up. 

Thankfully, he didn’t wait for her, and the pair began running concurrent laps on opposite sides of the track to warm up. She didn’t need long, Maikki was on the dirt bike whenever she wasn’t on her M1, and she loped easily around the course in a comfortable mix of second and third before she paused at the start, glancing over at Axel. 

“Two of three?” She called over the hum of their engines, tugging her gloves on more firmly to meet the cuff of her jersey. 

“Until I loose. Then three of five.”

Maikki shook her head at him, fingers drumming on the tank of her 450 for a moment, staring down the first corner. She glanced over in time to see Axel start a countdown on his handlebars, three fingers. Two. One. A rev. 

She shot off with him. Doing the countdown put him at an advantage for the holeshot, which Maikki personally wanted to win. Most of her career had been built on that desire - the overwhelming need to prove that she was better than the boys. It seemed like a petty thing to build her life around, but really when she thought about it, her sport was all about the stark ambition to be the best for really no reason at all.

Maik didn't manage to take the holeshot from Axel due to his well-placed leg, balanced against the aggression of that first nearly 365 degree turn. She did squeak past him on the next straight, and had advantage going into the next corner when the impact of his bike meeting hers rattled her teeth.

Oh, that was how he was going to play?

Sliding with a little less control than she would have liked, Maikki nipped past him in the straight section before the whoops, taking the jumps two at a time. Axel had chosen a three-at-a-time rhythm, which was slower on this particular track. It left him in the air too long and made him come up one short at the end of the whoops, while Maikki screamed into the corner toward the tabletop. Maik kept her whip low - she was racing, not performing - but Axel's went high, and over her head. He landed in front of her, spraying a tail of dirt in her face. Swearing as she ripped off one of the tearaway strips on her goggles, Maikki had to punch it to get abreast of him in the corner, cutting him off with her tire.

Their bashing back-and-forth stretched into five laps not because Axel had lost, but because the pair were enjoying themselves. Five turned into seven, and almost an hour went by before Maikki waved that she was going into the shop, if only to check out the flapping front fender of her bike.

"Ah, shit, you cracked my plastic," Maikki frowned, flexing the injury to her bike to see the extent of it. Axel, meanwhile, was flexing his shoulder, rotating it as he watched her. 

"Ah, an L-bracket and a few rivets and you're in good shape," He mused, leaning over her shoulder to look at the crack.

"And I thought Finns were the rednecks of Europe," Maikki glanced up to see Valentino crossing the garage, looking a little worse for wear in his leathers. 

"Hey old man. Flat track?"

"For as long as the painkillers last. Pray for me," He laughed, passing the pair on his way to the #46 dirt bike that was outfitted with flat track tires. He'd probably go kick the kids' asses for a while before he turned back in. "Be good, kids."

Maikki shook her head as she pulled off her chest protector, rolling her own shoulders out as she glanced up at Axel.

"I don't want to push it, I'm thinking pool time," She commented as the pair started back toward the lockers.


	13. Chapter 13

After a rinse and a change, Maikki leaned on the side of the pool, letting herself float with her head on the edge of the pavers. Like everything else about Valentino's house, the pool was incredible - an infinity pool that had great views of the surrounding hills. The harsh "braap" of engines calling to one another on the other side of the house hardly interrupted her zen.

A cannonball almost a foot away from her did, and she popped upright, wide-eyed as she searched for the source. Really, at this point, she should be used to the guys' pranks, which were often centered around her.

"Sorry, you looked like you might fall asleep," Axel's deep Spanish startled Maik, and she turned, about to give him a piece of her mind. "Damn girl, I didn't realize you were quite so tatted up,"

Oh, he had absolutely realized she was "that tatted up," but men used her tattoos as an excuse to touch her skin so often that Maikki was used to hearing it used as a pickup line of sorts. His blunt fingers trailed over the tentacles of the watercolor octopus on sternum, tracing where it flared out over her ribs and hugged her sides. 

"Did you wake up this morning and say to yourself, 'I want to sleep with Maikki?'" She asked abruptly, shocking the Spaniard into stillness. "Oh, don't stop, I'm just curious." 

"You're a weird chick, do you know that?" He asked, his brows furrowed.

"And?" She asked, letting her fingers graze his forearm under the water, sweeping them up his bicep to rest on his shoulder. He was drifting into the deeper water, pulling her along so that her toes no longer touched the ground and she had to hold on to him to stay up for lack of room to doggy paddle. 

"Just a statement." 

"Normal women don't race motorbikes," Maikki commented, her free hand traveling to brace on the wrist of a hand he had planted on her waist, using it to hold herself upright and still well away from his chest. "You didn't answer my question."

"Thought it was rhetorical," He murmured, an eyebrow raised. "Fascinating, finally single. Maybe not this morning, but I figured I'd give it a shot someday,"

Maikki shook her head, grinning at him as she slipped her hand from his shoulder to his cheek, touching the pad of her thumb to his lips. His hands shifted around her waist to her back, pulling her body into his. Axel's lips pressed against hers through her fingers, his teeth nipping at the digits until she moved them back to the side of his face and around the back of his neck. After a long, breathless moment, she pulled her lips away from his, grinning as he swore quietly.

"Give me a few drinks later, keep this up, I just might let you be my bad decision Tuesday," She murmured as she directed him back to the shallower water where she could stand. "As for right now, I think we're about to have company."

"Yeah?" 

"Hear any bikes?"

"God you're fascinating," Axel murmured, touching his lips to hers again before he pulled away. "When does the drinking start?"

"Oh, whenever. I have a feeling Vale is about to burst in and say -"

"Did you fuckers start without me?" As if cued, Valentino popped his head out one of the the double French doors, scowling comically at Maikki as she climbed out of the pool, seeking out her towel. He couldn't manage to hold the frown for long - he broke into that genuine smile of his almost immediately as he started putting the pieces together - who she was with, who wasn't there. "Did I interrupt something, cara mia?"

"Totally massacred my erection," Maikki shot back at the man, flipping him off as she started to towel off her hair. He knew her too well to be fooled by a clumsy jab like that, and raised an eyebrow at her. 

"I'm going to go take a shower, and then I would like drinks." One downfall to training at the ranch was the fact that it was easy to get swept up in Valentino's playboy lifestyle. Once, Maikki had ended up there for a whole blurry weekend, simply because she kept getting buffeted by the waves of Vale's partying. She was still shaking her head when a pair of wet arms wrapped around her arms, turning her as she was pulled into a well-muscled chest.

"Drinks, 'cara mia?' Like the boss requested?" Axel chuckled, and the feeling of his laugh reverberated through her body. "It's funny, Maikki,"

"What?"

"How you've friend zoned il Doctore," Maikki squinted up at him. He was shrewd and pretty, quite the combination. 

"How are you so sure I friend zoned him?" She asked cautiously, her fingers tickling the skin above the top of his swim trunks.

"Because if you wanted him you'd be standing here with him." Maikki was glad her face was pressed into his chest so he couldn't see the sad smile - how very wrong he was. "You're a force, Maik."

"Well, thank you, but I think you're the one who came after me," She joked, tilting her head back to invite a kiss which he gladly gave. 

"Don't take it personally,"

"What, do you make out with other riders often?" Maikki asked wryly as he laughed, pulling away to recommit to her towel. She was going to have to take a shower anyway, she wasn't sure why she was taking the time to towel off. She could either use the guest shower or -

"Can I borrow your shower?" She almost startled herself with the bold ask, but she was on a roll. It seemed to give Axel pause, and he lifted his eyebrows questioningly. 

"With or without me in it?" He asked cautiously, and she waved a hand as she padded into the house, looking for her duffel bag where she had left it on one of the stools by the kitchen island. She knew better than to head to the Ranch without an overnight bag, these days. 

"Whichever," She picked up her phone, shooting a text to Vale to ask him if it was a party or a "party party" - the kind with guests. "Well?"

"You are something else," Axel murmured, his hand on the small of her back to guide her down the hall to his room. 

They didn’t make it quite as far as the bathroom at first. She tossed her bag onto the chair in the corner of the room as he closed the door - Maik could hear the click of the lock. Locks that anyone with a nail or a credit card could open, but that wasn’t the point.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, rising on her toes to kiss him softly as his hands traced up her sides, to the strings of her bikini. He slowly untied the bottom tie of her top, his palm flat against her side as he migrated to the top tie. As bare chested as he was, Maikki dug her fingers in his hair for a long moment as they kissed hungrily. Axel had other ideas, his teeth nipping a line down her throat to her nipple, toying with it with his teeth. He didn’t say anything about her nipple ring - either he had encountered them before, or was determined as his hands searched for her bikini bottoms and relieved her of them easily. 

She fiddled with the ties of his suit for a moment before she pulled them loose, dropping onto flat feet as she steered him toward the bed by a handful of the damp fabric. He let her steer, his smile wry, eyebrows lifted as she pushed him down to sit on the edge of the bed, letting his shorts fall to the floor. He was obviously ready for her, but she wasn’t ready for him. Not yet. 

“Condom?” He asked, eyebrow still raised. Maikki nodded, settling on the bed beside him as he stood. Instead of fetching, he pressed her knees apart and slid his tongue along her, adding to the wet heat between her thighs. Well, now she was ready. 

Grinning, he rolled the condom on, and gathered her face to his by a handful of her loose hair. He pressed into her quickly enough to make her gasp, and shifted to get an arm under her ass, lifting her off the bed. 

Maikki bit her lip to suppress a moan as he pushed her against the wall, his hands under the back of her knees to hold her up as he thrust into her. Fuck, he was strong, but he wasn’t going to be able to hold her up forever. She pointed to the bathroom, where he let her feet drop to the cool tiles, pressing her hips into the low counter with his rough thrusts. She couldn’t help but moan as he pulled a handful of her hair, his other hand scraping roughly down her chest. 

Maikki twined her fingers through his as they reached her abdomen, guiding them slowly down to her clit as a counter to his rough thrusts. Once he was there, it didn’t seem like he knew what he was doing with it, his fingers too wild. It was always something, but she put the disappointment aside and took care of it herself, wetting one finger to rub her clit. 

The motion seemed to put him over the edge and he grunted into the crook of her neck, holding her hips hard. 

“Don’t stop, Ax,” She moaned as his thrusts started to slow. “I’m so close,”

He managed to get her there, but barely, and he panted over her shoulder from the effort, holding her body close.


	14. Chapter 14

Drenched in sweat after a long afternoon on the track, Maikki did not pass go, did not collect $200 on her way to Axel’s shower in Vale’s house. She left a trail of clothes through the man’s bedroom on their way to the bathroom, interested in getting in the hot water to soother her cramps. 

Maik was scrubbing shampoo into her hair when she heard the bathroom door open and close, and Axel’s large body joined her in the shower. His rough hands slid around her waist, his bare body pressed against her back. 

“Mm, not today, big boy,” She murmured as his hands ran up her abs to her breasts, looking to grab them. 

“God but you’re fucking gorgeous,” His voice was a growl in her ear, his cheek pressed against her temple. 

“Well, thanks, Ax. Sounding like you’re getting attached there, kid,”

“Not attached. Just want to dip my wick in something gorgeous.”

“Ah, thanks but no thanks,”

“What’s wrong?” He asked as she turned under his arms, pressing her forehead to his chest. 

“It’s that time of the month,” Maikki murmured, enjoying the warmth of his body while the water pounded on her back, rinsing the shampoo out of her hair. 

“Well I don’t mind that, Maik,”

“Ah, but I do.” 

“Why, sweetheart? It’s all natural,”

“I have cramps radiating down to the arches of my feet,” Maikki murmured with a bitter laugh, letting him press his lips to hers. He held her closely against his well-muscles chest, stroking her hair. 

“The arches of your feet?” He looked at her quizzically, his full lips pressed into a pout. “How bad can it be?”

She frowned at him, shaking her head as she finished rinsing her hair. While she was used to doctors downplaying her pain, she hadn’t expected to hear that question from Axel. Well, this was going to be an experience, she mused as she raised a cruel eyebrow. 

“Do you really want to know?”

Freshly showered and dressed, Maikki plopped her TENS machine on the coffee table, ignoring Vale’s raised eyebrow in the kitchen as she plugged it in and started detangling the leads. Vale’s confusion depended as Axel fell onto the couch, watching main prepare. 

“What are you two up to?” Valentino finally asked as Maikki directed Axel to lift his shirt, applying two leads to the v of his sharp abs. 

“Ax wants to know what my cramps feel like,” Maikki answered with a shrug, directing the dark-haired Spaniard to put the second set of pads on his inner thighs. 

“Have you done this before, Maik?” Axel asked as Valentino crossed the kitchen, piercing on the back of the white couch to watch. 

“Yep.”

“You’re not just going to crank it up to hurt him, will you?” Vale asked, sipping from a water bottle. 

“Nope.” She sat on the coffee table in front of Axel, waiting for him to finish putting the leads on his inner thighs. If Vale hadn’t been in the kitchen she probably would have done it for him, just to rile the man up. “You ready?”

Axel nodded, and Maikki started to turn the machine up. 

After a minute or two of gradually lifting the intensity of the machine, Ax’s calm facade finally cracked. 

“Fuck, you’re just trying to hurt me,”

“I’m not. This is the setting I use to get relief, actually.” Valentino leaned over to check, his lips pursed as she kicked the intensity up again. Axel winced, holding his hands firmly together in his lap. 

"Oh, it's not that bad, it's only set to a six," Vale contributed with a laugh, sipping from his water bottle. 

"You alright, Ax?" He had leaned his head back against the couch, eyes closed as Pecco and Niccolo walked in from the track. "What are you three doing?"

"I think Axel pissed off the wrong person," Valentino said with a wave of his hand, moving back into the kitchen as Maikki started to dial back the shocks just a little.

"Normally, it sits right here." She said, trying not to grin at Axel's wince. "And it'll spike to here sometimes, but usually comes back down eventually."

"Eventually?" Axel's pretty blue eyes were screwed shut, his hands fists on his knees. "Oh, I'm sorry. Fuck, that's not great,"

He pulled the leads off his stomach as Pecco walked over to the couch, obviously curious.

"Seriously, the fuck are you people doing?" He asked as Maikki took the leads from Axel, who was slow to get to his feet.

"Want to have a go?" Maikki offered the leads to Pecco, grinning.


	15. Chapter 15

Marquez was pouting in the background of every single picture, Maikki noted with a frown. She sat in one of Valentino's meeting rooms with Astrid, her publicist, and Aahto on video conference from Finland. Bitterer still was the fact that she was watching a peaceful snow fall through the window behind Aahto in her hometown of Kuusamo.

"I don't know, guys. What about the shoot?" The pieces she was picking were for an article Vanity Fair wanted to do on her. She had met the interviewer in Cattolica for coffee by the sea, and a long walk while shopping. She thought the interview had gone well, even if the pictures weren't piquing her fancy. She and Astrid were only responsible for eliminating the ones she absolutely did not want published, and Aahto was there for moral support.

"Just sent you the email," Indeed, Astrid had just sent it, and Maikki opened it on the giant tablet built into the table - one of the reasons she was using the meeting room instead of just working off her laptop. She started parsing through the images, chewing on her lip as Aahto and Astrid did the same.

A soft knock at the glass door of the room startled Maik out of her inspection, and she looked over her shoulder to see Vale, waving with his trademark grin on his face. She jerked her head, inviting him into the room as she focused back on the pictures.

"I've invited some outside counsel, guys." Aahto and Astrid waved as Vale perched behind her, one arm braced on the table and the other on the back of her chair. 

"What are we looking at?" He was in Boss mode, flipping through the pictures quickly like he was taking stock before he went back to the beginning. Astrid explained from the video screen what they were for as Maikki frowned down at the tablet with Vale.

"These ones aren't the problem. Though, I always value your input." Maikki pushed her fingers under his, taking control of the screen as she navigated back to the original set. "The problem is these, from the championship. I can't pick. Marquez is in the background of all of them making fucking stank face,"

Valentino started to parse through the pictures from the podium, considering, his eyes narrowed and his lips pursed. He started to flip between two pictures - where she was holding her trophy aloft, flipping off the camera.

"Either of these two. That's 51 and 52 for you guys," He said to the camera above the drop down screen Aahto and Astrid were on, prompting both to flip through the pictures on their laptops.

"May I ask why?" Maik asked in Italian, making their conversation private for a moment. 

"Look at you, cara mia. The joy, it's beautiful. That and I've always been fond of these tattoos," He hooked his pointer finger around her middle finger, straightening it to reveal the Finnish word for "clutch" tattooed on it in delicate cursive.

"Do you even know what they mean?" She asked, navigating back to the photos from the other shoot. 

"I've inferred." He leaned over her shoulder, inspecting the pictures without further comment, marking off the ones he thought shouldn't be included like he somehow already knew that's what she was looking for. "Is that it?"

"Want to review the interview too?" She laughed, looking up at Astrid and Aahto. "I don't know, if you guys agree, I'm happy with that. It's hard to be objective when it's your own face."

"Yeah, and we've been at this for a while. Thank you, Valentino, for making short work of that," Aahto commented, his voice bordering on misery. Maikki rolled her eyes at him, because he knew full well he didn't have to be on the call, but chose to be to "be kept in the loop," he claimed. Maik wasn’t entirely convinced that it wasn’t an elaborate ploy to spend more time with Astrid, but she couldn’t call Aahto out on that with her publicist on the line. 

They made quick goodbyes before Maikki ducked out of the room with Vale in tow, her laptop clutched to her chest.

"God, I'm so glad you showed up when you did. That was a nightmare," She sighed, leaning into his chest as he put an arm over her shoulder. "Looking at my own face sucks."

"Ah, but it's such a pretty one," Maikki rolled her eyes at the old flirt, poking him in the ribs as they walked back toward the house. "Anyway, I was looking for you to ask if you've ever played football?"

"What kind of a question is that? Why?"

"Well?" 

"Yes, I have played football. In my youth. Before I started racing full time. Which was, what, more than a decade ago?"

"Low blow, Maik. Thank you for reminding me of my age." He sighed as she slid her computer back into her backpack, kicking one foot onto the island counter to unlace her shoe. Vale lifted her foot by the ankle, keeping the sole off the marble as he raised an eyebrow. "Shoes? On the table?"

"And my ass has been there before, Vale. Wanna grab it too?" She still reached for her shoelaces as he let her foot drop to the counter, and grabbed a handful of her butt with a mischievous grin. Maik yelped, dancing away from the unexpected contact with her foot still on the counter, and slipped on the shoelace of her other shoe, falling flat on her ass in the middle of the kitchen with a shriek.

Swearing, she felt Valentino's hands on her shoulders, helping her to sit up as he laughed at her plight. 

“Fuck, cara mia, you are such a fucking klutz,” 

“A klutz who still wants to know why you’re asking about football,” She murmured, hand to her head. Valentino grinned as he helped her to her feet, popping her up onto the counter with her feet against his thigh as he untied her shoes for her. The action was strangely intimate for something so simple and mundane, and she chewed her lip as she watched every motion of his fingers. God damn her insistence that she not be seen as being handed her lot in life.

“Because there’s a charity match Saturday, and we’re down a player.”

“You want me to play football with you Saturday? This Saturday?”

“Oh, not against me, cara mia. That wouldn't be fair, I'd kick your ass,” His grin was wicked as he squeezed her ankles and let her feet down gently from his grasp. 

“You’re a dirty old bastard, you know that, Valentino?”

“Ah, but you love me,” Maikki waved a hand at the strange comment, wishing she couldn’t feel the heat rising in her cheeks. “And you owe me.”

“I owe you?” She asked, an eyebrow raised. 

“Yeah, I hear you’ve been fucking someone all over my house.” Now the heat really did rise in her cheeks. Ah, fuck. 

“Ah, not much longer. I can’t train him.”

“What?”

“The sex isn't great.” Maikki spelled it out, staring at her toes. “There’s no communication so -“

“I fucking get it, Maik.” Valentino shook his head as he walked into the kitchen proper, digging in the fridge.

“Oh, what, you don’t want to hear about my sex life? I get to hear all about yours,” Maikki tracked him, turning to curl her feet on top of her thighs as she watched him consider drinks. “Seltzer - the peach one. Yeah. New stuff, you’ll like it.”

“Thanks,” He handed her a can, looking a little perturbed still. “I don’t know, Maikki. I don’t like it.” 

“Why?” She countered hotly, staring him down. 

“Because it could be me.” His frank admission caught her off guard, and he shrugged, blinking as he tore his gaze from her to look at his phone. Maikki realized her mouth hung open and she shut it, brows furrowed as she tried to figure out what the fuck was going on. “So will you need to practice before the game, or -“

“You don’t get to just say something like that, Valentino,” She contested hotly, leaning to snatch the phone out of his hand. She set it down on the counter, staring at him, trying to make heads or tails of the man. He looked at her, his ocean blue eyes stormy but unwavering. There was no trace of his trademark grin, no lifted eyebrow to signify he was toying with her. 

“What else do I say, Maikki? I will always tell you the truth, you know that.” He picked up his phone slowly, spinning it in his hand. “There are just things I don’t want to hear about. Usually I like being jealous. It’s a fuel.”

“I’m sorry, Vale.”

“Don’t apologize, Maik. Why do you always apologize to me? You never apologize to anyone else.” His point gave her pause. He was right - she really didn’t ever apologize to anyone else. Just him. Especially about relationships. Now she was the one frowning. 

He sighed and set down his phone and the can of seltzer in his hand before he walked slowly around the island to where she sat, still tracking him. Valentino reached out with tentative hands - strange, because nothing he ever did was tentative - and pulled her into his chest. She unfurled her legs, letting them straddle his narrow hips on her perch as he squeezed her shoulders tightly in his arms. 

“Ugh, Maik. Don’t listen to me. I’m a bitter old man, not used to not getting what I want.” She didn’t bother raising an eyebrow where her cheek was pressed into his shoulder, he wouldn’t have seen it anyway. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his waist and held him close, breathing in the scent of the man - the light, earthy smell of whatever body wash he used undercut by the sharp scent of oil and gas. She didn’t want to move from this spot, holding him. 

“I won’t apologize again.” She murmured, as he shifted back, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. His gaze was somehow sad, even as he smiled at her, close lipped and strained. 

“You will. But that’s ok.” He squeezed her shoulders tightly before he pulled away, pacing back to his phone, leaving her staring at her hands. “So the match is on Saturday,”

Maikki slid off the island, grabbing her bag as she padded to Axel’s empty room to change. 

She needed to go for a run. Do some yoga. Something to help her process.


	16. Chapter 16

Maikki rolled her ankle, balanced on her right foot as she pulled her knee into her chest as she watched the guys stretch themselves out on the field. Slowly, she reached for her foot, wrapping her fingers around the toes of her turf shoe before she stretched her leg straight out in front of her, then slowly off to the side. Balancing on the thick fake grass was difficult, and she was a bit more wobbly than she would have liked to be as she transitioned back into dancer, ignoring the click of the cameras and her joints.

The stands weren't packed, but there were enough people there to make her nervous. The notoriety of the participants in the match assured that there would be a crowd, and it wasn't like Maikki's skills were really up to par. She was athletic, she was fast, she tended to trip over the ball between her feet. Her terrible klutzyness had brought Valentino great joy in the last few days as he tried to coach her into fighting shape.

Their team consisted of her and Vale, and several of the guys from the academy. Axel and Mattia were volleying a ball back and forth from one of their heads to the other - a motion she had not mastered. Really, Maik expected to be benched most of the game, and understood that she was basically eye candy. 

"Hey! Why are you doing yoga?" Valentino's clipped shout almost made Maikki fall over as she repeated her sequence on the other leg, and she brought her foot down to the earth, glaring. "Drills, Maikki!"

She flipped him an elegant bird as she turned to lope around the field, joining the kids from the Italian Football Academy they were playing against. They were all quite a bit younger than her team - who were all in their twenties - but Maikki kept up with them easily. It made the 26-year-old feel good, a false sense of security before they got their asses handed to them by kids and their old football legend veteran coach. 

"Colluding with the enemy?" Axel asked as she rejoined the MotoGP group, who were preparing to pose for the group picture. She accepted her jersey from one of the team assistants, smiling as she thanked the girl who was very obviously eyeing Axel. Oh, whatever. It wasn't like the pair were dating - far from it, they had both agreed that they were extremely casually using one another as sexual playthings - but the stares always tweaked Maikki's nerves. She hated it when she was passed over, unrecognized. Axel picked up on Maikki’s frustration and pulled her into his side, mussing her long blonde hair with a meaty paw. 

"You know me, always looking for the next talent." She rolled her eyes, stripping off her shirt to pull on the jersey. That drew stares - but not of recognition. 

The team pictures and a group picture were snapped, and Maikki found herself on the bench, bouncing one heel off the toe of her other foot as she watched the guys start to flare out into position. Vale and Axel settled in as defenders, the position she would be playing because while she couldn't really effectively run with the ball, she could clear the hell out of it. She tracked the game, chatting occasionally with Pecco from Vale's SkyAcademy as they waited their turn on the field.

"They're definitely playing above our level," Pecco murmured to Maik as Axel signed that he wanted to sub out, rotating his ankle as he balanced on the other. Maik rose, rolling out her shoulders as she glanced down the line. The other kid who was likely to play defense - Romeo - waved her on. 

"Are you sure, Maik? They're not playing nice," Axel asked, obviously limping on his ankle. She glanced down at him as she raised her hands to his, waiting for the whistle to recognize the switch. "It's just rolled. I'm fine."

With a shrug, Maikki darted past him onto the field, loping to the opposite side of the field where he had just come from, tracking the action over by the other team's goal post. The boys were doing a good job of keeping the footballers on their toes, but the footballers were training to be literal professionals. The VR46 team all knew where this game was headed before it even started, but that didn't mean they couldn't put up a fight.

The ball was coming toward her, and Vale was on the opposite side of the field. Behind her in goal, Mav was shouting directions up the field that she was to meet the attacker with the ball and reclaim it. Well, shit, that had happened faster than she would have liked.

Maikki turned and prepared to run at the kid with the ball, and was intercepted by the right wing and his shoulder to her sternum. It sent her stumbling, regaining her balance with her lips pressed into a firm line of anger. So that was how they were playing?

She had one trick up her sleeve, she just needed to hold onto it until the right winger had the ball. Maikki focused on calming her breathing as she attacked the ball again, managing to take it from the center for a pass to Vale, who cleared it for her as Maikki spun past an elbow. She had the advantage of being more nimble than her cohorts, being slightly smaller and faster. Her other advantage was her ability to control her temper.

Maikki hung back, letting Vale stop the ball with his chest to pass to Mav to clear. The kid had a leg, and he booted it almost into the hands of the other keeper. Their offense hand managed to score one goal, but the football kids had two on them. 

She kept her calm as she analyzed the field, standing with her hands on her hips until the ball started to head her way. She loped to reach it before it went out of bounds, crossing it to Vale who passed quickly to Pecco. Pecco to Mattia. Mattia back to Maikki who barely managed to turn and kick it to Pecco, who was uncovered. It was the sharp pain in her abs that made her pause, and as she gasped for a breath she realized she had been elbowed, and took a step back from her attacker - the right winger. 

“You little shit,” She managed to wheeze, as Valentino shouted obscenities about the dirty hit to the refs. 

“This is a fucking charity game, kid!” 

“If she can’t take a hit she shouldn’t be on the pitch,” The kid called as he jogged backwards, still tracking the ball. Maikki waved at Vale, shaking her head. 

“It’s fine, Vale.”

She still had her ace. And if he so much as shoved her she was going to use it. 

After a second shove that nearly knocked her off her feet, she was fed up, cursing in Finnish as she tied her hair up. 

“Maikki! I can sub in!” Axel shouted from the sidelines, but Maikki waved a no at her hip. With her other hand, she pointed at the kid. 

“It’s ok, he won’t do it again,” Now it was Valentino and Mav who were swearing, each having noted the familiar look in Maikki’s eyes as the kid got the ball. He ran for her, taking the same route through her lane. Maikki didn’t lope for the ball this time, she fucking sprinted, and tucked her elbows to her chest and dropped her shoulder, flipping the kid over her shoulder and onto his back. 

Play didn’t stop as the kid wheezed, And Maikki crossed the ball to Vale, who was grinning broadly. 

“Dude, ref, that’s not fair!” The footballer’s center shouted as Maikki smugly paced back to offer a hand to the kid on the ground as he was getting to his feet, and he slapped it aside. 

“I didn’t see anything, number 5, get your head back in the game.”

The right winger subbed out, and Maikki waited a few more plays before she subbed out for Romeo.

After the inevitable loss, the group returned to their locker room - after Vale had invited all of the players out to the bar afterwards. 

“Fuck, Maikki, did you have to wreck the kid?” Maverick asked as he laughed at her. Maik shook her head ruefully and pulled up her jersey, surveying the damage. 

“Hey, he gave your octopus a black eye!” Romeo observed, pointing at the black-and-blue that was clearly visible through the watercolor of the tattoo. 

“Well that’s a first,” Maikki murmured, frowning at her ribs. He had hit in just the right spot to ensure the damage was visible - just at the top of the octopus’ mantle, near the skin between her breasts. "That's gonna smart tomorrow."

"I take it back, you absolutely should have doused his lights," Mav murmured, clapping Maikki on the back as she let her jersey fall.

They all changed out of their cleats - Maikki into a pair of leggings to pair with the bright yellow jersey - and set off to the bar.


	17. Chapter 17

One thing led to another and Maikki reclined on one of the chairs by the pool in Valentino's backyard, toying with the fringe of the slouchy kimono top she wore over her bikini as she sipped a drink. This was the life. A game of football, a dip in the pool. Never mind the fact that the pool was crawling with bimbos that the guys had brought back from the bar.

It wasn't really fair for her to call them bimbos, Maikki knew. But she couldn't help but frown at the pair of them in Vale's lap, the one that was chatting up Axel. And it wasn’t like any of the women would speak to her with all of the men around - if they even would anyway. Maikki never got along well with other women, and she had the sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t entirely their fault. Feeling ridiculous, Maik sighed and leaned back onto her elbows to soak up the sun. 

Predictably, shrieking from one of the girls as she was tossed in the pool made Maikki's head pop up from it's rest on the chair. Fine, she was out of alcohol anyway. Maik stood, padding past the hubub by the pool to the double french doors that led to the kitchen. Some of the guys sat on the counter, kicking their feet as they watched the more successful of them try their hand with the women out back.

"What are you guys doing in here?" She asked, glancing over her shoulder. There were obviously women to spare, even if they were fawning over the other guys. "Not eager to blow your wad?"

"Man, Maik, you are so eloquent," Pecco murmured, arms crossed. "What chance do we have out there?" 

She followed his gaze for a moment with a shrug, refilling her drink without really measuring how much vodka she put into it.

"How do you know if you don't try? Go on, go toss one in the pool. I dare you to grab that blonde talking to Vale,"

It didn't take much more urging to get Nicolo to jump off the counter top in pursuit. The remaining three younger riders and Maikki watched in awe as he snatched the blonde in question from under Vale's grasp and threw her into the pool - just as the old Italian was about to lean in for a kiss. As the shrieks devolved into laughter, Valentino glanced into the kitchen, and obviously put two-and-two together as to the perpetrator of this misdeed. He pointed an accusing finger at Maikki between the trio of Academy kids. 

"This was your doing wasn't it?" 

Maikki shook her head earnestly at Valentino, taking a long sip of her drink as she hopped off the counter and circled around into the kitchen to put the island and the three men between her and the Italian. Oh no, she recognized that mischievous glint in his eyes, she knew exactly what he had planned - and likely, she wouldn't be able to stop him. Instead, Maikki committed herself to finishing her fresh drink as Valentino's arm closed around her waist, his other hand taking the glass from her to finish what she had left before he pulled her from her feet. Maik wasn't a small girl - 5'6" on a good day and strong enough to throw a bike around - but Vale had the advantage of height and experience, not to mention the muscle she and his trainer Carlo had been packing onto his frame with a one-two nutrition and training punch.

Fuck, she was the arbiter of her own demise. But it didn't mean she went down without a fight. 

Lips pursed so she wouldn't scream - because she would never allow herself to stoop to the level of the bimbos - Maikki tried to fight her way free of Vale's wiry grasp, but it wasn’t very far from the kitchen to the pool, and he was swinging back for the toss before she knew it. In a last-ditch effort for vengeance, she grabbed Vale's wrist as she sailed past it to drag him into the pool with her, getting the satisfaction of his surprised shout before her head went under the water.

Maikki popped up at the edge of the pool, gasping for breath but grinning before someone pulled her under again, a hand on her ankle. Through the stinging of the lightly salted water, she could see Vale's broad grin. Instead of fighting him, as he probably expected, Maik shrugged and sat on the bottom of the pool, waiting. She had gotten a good breath at the top, she could outlast him.

Outlast she did, thanks to her stubborn pride, and was seeing pinpricks in her vision as she broke the surface again, pushing her hair out of her face before she propped her arms on the edge of the pool and hoisted herself out. Herself, and what seemed like half the water in the pool, which her surprisingly absorbent kimono had soaked up. She shed it as she stood, holding it in one hand.

"Someone get me a fucking drink," She pointed at Miguel, who was grinning in the kitchen. "Strong, please, Migs,"

"Aw, are you upset, cara mia?" Vale asked from behind her as he hoisted himself out of the pool. She offered him a hand up, regretting the gesture instantly when he shook his curls out in her face, but accepted a tight hug of semi-apology as they made a truce and fetched towels. 

One thing always led to another at Valentino's house. The group sat around the fire, watching warily as the girl who had planted herself solidly in Axel's lap stood, toying with her empty wine bottle seductively as she suggested a game of spin the bottle.

"What are we, twelve?" Pecco asked beside her, but Maik was perplexed. She leaned in to his shoulder, brows knitted.

"What the fuck is 'spin the bottle?'" She asked, brows furrowed as she watched the skinny pseudo-model set the bottle down in front of her with a flourish, announcing that she would go first, as Miguel insisted there "be no gay shit." She couldn't figure out what "gay shit" meant, why Miguel would insist on it because all of the men present were straight. At least to her knowledge. She couldn't be sure about the women.

"Wait, guys, Maikki has never played spin the bottle!" Pecco's shout was excited, bringing him to the edge of his chair. "So I guess that's a yes,"

"No, that's not a yes. What is this game?"

"It's easy, M," Axel leaned toward the fire to look at her, his eyes dancing with the light of mischief. God, these men. "It's truth or dare, but with a bottle."

"Why do we need the bottle?"

"You'll see," His smile was wry, and Maikki found herself gathering the blanket tighter around her shoulders even though she wasn't cold. It sounded so ominous. "Come on, just play. We'll go easy on you,"

"If I play nobody is going easy on me. I just don't like playing games where I don't know the rules," The statement drew a snort from the Spaniard, who still looked at her. "Fine. Fine, I'll play. How do you win?"

She couldn't understand why the guys were laughing at her, or why the women were all glaring at each other defensively. Maik sighed, letting the blanket fall from her shoulders as she reached for her drink on the low table between her and Pecco. At least she had a few rounds to figure it out. 

The bottle spun under the brunette's fingers and landed on Pecco. Maikki watched, confused, as the woman turned her attention to the rider next to her.

"Truth, or dare?" Fuck, was her voice ever grating. Maik reminded herself to play nice with the other girls as she took a sip of wine. 

"Truth," Pecco seemed like he had already decided on his response. 

"What is your favorite sex position?"

Oh, it was the invasive, overly sexual and flirtatious kind of game, Maikki realized as she watched the bottle was passed from person to person. The kind meant to get people laid. After a few spins, it finally landed on her, and Maikki found herself staring down one of the girls from town, an American tourist who had plopped herself next to Mattia. She was the blonde from the pool, who apparently hadn't quite grasped that Maikki had been the perpetrator of the death of her hairdo.

"Dare, I guess." Maik shrugged, and immediately regretted the decision as she watched the blonde let her eyes sweep across the circle.

"I dare you to make out with him," She could have been pointing at Axel, or at Miguel next to him. Maikki pursed her lips as she followed her finger.

"Which one of them are you pointing at, dear?" Be nice. 

"Mr. Tall, dark, and handsome over there." Axel. Well, at least it was someone she liked to kiss. 

Rolling her eyes, Maik unfurled from the chair, motioning the girl in Axel's lap out of her way. She raised an eyebrow at him as she paced around the fire and shook her head as he winked back, trying not to giggle. Straddling Axel's knees, she tilted the man's chin up with the tip of one of her fingers and let her lips fall onto his, the alcohol encouraging her to be a little more forceful than she meant to be. She could feel his hand squeeze her ass, the other on the small of her back as if he was resisting the urge to pull her into his chest. After a moment that was probably too long, Maikki pulled away with an impish grin. 

"I mean, if you want to come to bed tonight," Axel said in Spanish, an eyebrow raised. There were enough cognates that everyone at the circle could at least infer what he had murmured to her as his fingers trailed across her skin.

"Probably not," Maik pressed her index finger to his smirk before she stood and retreated back to her seat, pretending to ignore the slightly stunned looks on the riders around the fire pit. Valentino’s dark gaze most of all. "What?"

"Well that answers that question," She raised an eyebrow at Mattia, who shrugged.

"There was a question? I hadn't realized we were discreet." Maikki was feeling insolent, and she crossed her arms over her chest. "No more of that, I think. I can see where it's headed."

"Where's that?" Pecco asked, as the bottle came his way.

"Toward me sitting in everyone's lap." She shrugged, pulling the blanket over her shoulder. Pecco's spin landed on one of the woman, who he dared to take her top off. Maikki lobbed something of a softball truth question at Dani, asking him how many women he'd slept with. His number wasn't high, wasn't low, but the almost innocent question backfired when the bottle landed on her next.

"Truth," She mumbled with a sigh, looking at Nicolo to her left.

"How many people have you slept with, Maik? I'm curious." She paused, chewing on her bottom lip as she thought. "Wow, is it really that difficult?"

"Kind of. No need to wait, I'll let you know when I'm done with my maths." The bottle moved on, but Nicolo made it clear he hadn't forgotten his question, asking Maikki every few seconds. "If you keep interrupting me..."

"Ballpark it Maik, Jesus," Vale called, grinning brightly as she flipped him off.

"Seriously. What, is it greater than... twenty?"

"Fucking hell, Nico, do you think I would have this much trouble counting past fucking twenty?" She snarked, taking a sip of her drink. "It's probably closer to fifty, and it's fucking murky."

"Ex... Did you just say fifty? At least?" Nicolo recoiled, staring at her like she was a snake seated beside him. Valentino was laughing across the circle - doubtlessly because his number was insanely large - and the other men shared looks of shock. 

"Christ, Maik, you're such a slut!" Angrily, Maikki turned on Pecco, waggling a finger under his nose.

"Don't you dare call me a slut, Pecco."

"You must be fucking loose - Ax, is she loose?" Miguel called, and Maikki almost snapped her neck as she turned to glare at him. Axel, meanwhile, looked like a deer in the headlights, staring wide-eyed at the Finn as she pressed her lips into a fine line.

"No, no, first of all, Migs, that's not how it works, have you ever seen a vagina? Second of all, Dani just quoted a number a little lower than mine, why isn't he a fucking slut? I don't accept that." Frustrated, she stood and grabbed her empty glass as she turned. This was ridiculous and she wasn’t going to stand for it. "Motherfuckers. I'm going to get a drink." 

She had to restrain herself from slamming the french door behind her before she made her way to the kitchen island, staring at the liquor cabinet for a long moment before she opened it to start making a drink. Deep breaths. Deep, calming breaths. It didn't do to let the guys know when they had struck a nerve, and she had basically just waved a flag saying how ticked she was for all of them - including the handful of strange women. Even if it was for a good reason it was still a bad idea. She sought out her phone to change the mix as it started to skew less mainstream, putting on a dark, 80’s themed playlist. 

Maikki sighed, leaving her drink on the counter as she bent to touch her toes. She placed her palms flat on the floor and stretched her body through a languid vinyasa, searching for some sort of semi-drunken inner peace. As she stretched into a forearm stand, she heard the doors open, and brought her feet down to the floor as Vale gave instructions on how to find the bathroom in his bedroom in a low murmur, assuring the girl he was directing to his bedroom that he'd bring a fresh drink.

"You know, cara mia,"

"Yeah, yeah. I let them know I was pissed. It was dumb."

"I wasn't going to say that," Vale brushed past her to make a new pair of drinks as she let her feet return to the ground with careful control. "But you're right. Are you ok?"

"Peachy. Can I borrow your couch tonight?" She asked as she leaned against the counter beside him and reached through his gangly arms for her drink.

"You could borrow my bed if you wanted," He murmured with a mischievous wink, topping off his glasses with soda. He swayed slightly where he stood, and she wondered absently if the Champion might be occasionally affected by whiskey dick. She pushed the thought from her mind - it would never apply, so why did she care? It wasn’t something she had heard reports of, but then again, she rarely heard about Vale’s prowess in bed from the women he took to it. Probably because she basically had her fingers in her ears. 

"I think someone's already in it,"

"Every time you get upset, I don't get laid. I'm trying to break that trend," Vale smiled with the good-natured jibe, a hand on her shoulder. "But she'll wait a minute. Want a shot?" 

"What kind of a question is that?" Maik was already reaching for the glasses on the shelf, one hand braces on the countertop as she pulled down two. "I suppose you're right. I shouldn't get upset so often,"

"You're just committed to keeping my number low," He filled the glasses before he replaced the vodka in the cabinet. The Italian wrapped his arm around her waist as he picked up his shot glass, his hand on the small of her back. It was warm, comfortable, and started an alarm bell in the sober part of her brain. The sober part wasn’t driving so Maikki got to enjoy the moment. 

"Care to ballpark?"

"More than you cara mia, I'm not getting any more specific than that. But, I am a slut." He laughed, that bright smile lighting up his face. It was infectious and Maik found herself laughing with him, clinking the edge of her shot to his glass.

"Viva la figa," She murmured, a wry smile on her lips. 

"Viva la figa, Maikki." They downed their shots together, Maikki pointing up at him while she bit back a cough.

"You're a bad influence on me, you know,"

"My pleasure." He planted a somewhat sloppy kiss on her cheek as he moved past her to fetch the pair of drinks he had prepared. Maik had to physically shake herself to ignore the lingering warmth where his hands had brushed her skin, where he had pressed his lips against her cheek. "Go, get back out there, don't be sulky."

"Uh-huh. Have fun. Use protection," She could hear Vale's laughter as he turned the corner, and listened to him struggle for a minute with two drinks and the door before he managed to get it open, exclaiming about how naked the girl was.

Sometimes, it was difficult not to be irrationally jealous - even though it was her own doing. She could easily see herself with the man, but she could just as easily see all the ways it could go wrong. Why did she even care, Maikki asked herself for the millionth time. She slept with other rides, she'd slept with tons of men. What was one more? She prided herself on not caring - not getting too attached when she didn't want to. Maikki figured she was as just as tough as she needed to be to survive in a man’s world, to play their game and beat them at it. 

Was it because she actually cared for Vale? Outside of being one of her closest and dearest friends. 

She shook the thought from her mind, plastering a broad grin on her face as she walked outside to see the rest of the guys, and planted herself in Axel's shockingly empty and inviting lap.


	18. Chapter 18

Fuck did her head hurt. Was she too old to drink like that any more, or had she just overdone it? 

Maikki leaned her head against the cool surface of the fridge as she refilled her water glass, staring at the time on the oven blankly. It was just after four - an hour until she would usually wake up and go for a run, practice yoga. There was no way that was going to happen today, she mused, sipping the water with the side of her head pressed against the fridge. With her other hand, she held a blanket around her shoulders to fight the chills of the blaring ac. Vale liked to keep his house cold. 

She didn’t move when she heard padding footsteps coming into the kitchen, thinking it was Axel. The man was surprisingly light on his feet for how big he was. Instead, it was Valentino’s long fingers that closed around the cup, relieving her of it for a long swallow. When he passed it back, she pressed it to the spout on the fridge door to refill it. 

“Can’t sleep?”

“Hungover already,” Maik murmured, taking a sip of the water before she passed it to Valentino’s waiting hand. He leaned against the fridge door beside her. “Too old. Why are you up?”

“She snores.” Maikki failed to bite back a snort of laughter, reaching to pat his shoulder sympathetically. 

“Welcome to my world, Valentino,” She giggled as he groaned, refilling the water glass again. 

It wasn’t that they were night owls, it was just that the pair of them had always had trouble sleeping. Doctors called it a symptom of a high-stress job - Maik could bet that if she walked back into Axel’s bedroom she would find him awake, probably staring at the ceiling or his phone. The same with any of the professional riders around. It hadn’t been as bad when she was still in Moto2 - she had a “fallback” then. Now, it was all racing. It didn’t matter if she could still support herself otherwise. She didn’t want to. 

Lips pursed, Maik looked up at Vale as he sipped from the water. 

“Why do you have trouble sleeping, sininen?” 

“Tell me what sininen is and I’ll tell you why I have trouble sleeping.” Valentino set down the glass and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, holding her close. 

“It’s the word for blue. I don’t know... I guess it’s my ‘cara mia,’”

“Did I just get a Maikki nickname? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” He mused with a chuckle, holding her tightly to her chest, his nose pressed into her hairline. Maikki let herself melt into his chest as he stroked her hair, enjoying the warmth of him in her hungover state. This was such an incredibly bad idea, she mused as she enjoyed the smell of him - his usual musky body wash spiked with a little petrol and what had to be sex. 

“You didn’t answer my question,” Maik felt his smile spread across her forehead. He always tried to be truthful with her - unless he was withholding information for both of their benefits, he always told her the truth. And the withholding never lasted long. 

“I don’t know, Maikki. I guess... I haven’t found the right woman. The one I want to stay in bed with. Some of them even force me out of it.” Well that was frank, she mused. 

“Missing Linda?” She teased, her fingers brushing against his bare sides as he started to slowly suss under her blanket to protect his bare chest from the cold. 

“No. She never kept me in bed. Not at the end.” His fingers brushed her hair behind her ear as he pressed the bridge of his nose to her forehead, between her eyebrows. Maikki tried not to read into the statement - what he was saying out loud, what he was saying with his gentle fingers, what he was saying with his lips pressed against the bridge of her nose. Instead of thinking about it with her pounding brain, Maik wrapped her arms around his shoulders, enveloping him in her blanket as he shifted under it, his arms around her waist. “Now you,”

“The pressure always wakes me up. I should be practicing. Even though I shouldn’t.” She murmured in the quiet, her fingers splayed against his skin, thumbs hooked in the blanket. Maik could lie to herself and say they were so close because of the blanket, because he wanted the warmth, but she knew better. It wasn’t even a rational excuse, really. 

“It never goes away. You get used to it.”

“Then why are you awake? Aside from your snoring bedfellow,” Maikki turned her chin up, looking up at his shadowy eyes with her nose pressed into his.

“The answer... I don’t think you’d like it.” His lips were so close to hers she could feel them move with each word, the electricity of his skin. She was so close. She could just press her lips against his, here in the dark, an no one would care. 

“Why, Vale?”

“Because I’m a very jealous man, cara mia.” He murmured against her skin, his hands flat against her sides. His nose moved away from hers, down to the corner of her jaw. “Jealous, curious, and a light sleeper.”

“Jealous and curious? Of what?” She knew what he meant. She was just digging for his answer, wondering what he would tell her this time. Which part of the perpetual answer. Maikki wasn’t the only one with excuses. 

“Curious to see if you ended up on the couch,” He started from the end, his hands loose around her hips. 

“I didn’t.” Maik admitted frankly, to Vale’s sigh. 

“Jealous because you didn’t.”

“Valentino,” Maikki sighed each syllable of his name, and ripped their faces apart to bury her face in his shoulder. She knew the answer, she always did and to say different was to lie to herself, but it was different to hear it out loud. “Don’t,”

“Why do you let me, then?” He asked against the top of her head, his nose pressed into her hair. “Why are we always standing here, not doing what we want to?”

He didn’t want an excuse, she knew. It as more of a rhetorical question. Maikki sighed, pressing her face into his neck. He was right to question it, too. She did. 

Valentino squeezed her tight for a long moment before he pulled away, extricating himself from under her blanket to take a long slug from their shared water glass. In a minute, they were about to part ways - she back to bed where she'd curl up with Axel, and he to his snoring rando. There was something almost sad about that, Maikki mused as she took the glass from Valentino, her fingers brushing his. His hand reached to caress the side of her face, drawing her in so he could press his lips against her cheek.

"Good night, cara mia."

Maikki stood, watching him pad back into the dark hall toward his room. Christ, why did she make herself reject him? 

She realized her fingertips were pressed against her cheek where he had kissed it, and sought out her glass to bear to the couch. Maikki tried to kid herself - that she would go right to sleep, and not spend the time until sunrise on her phone, trying to distract herself. 

Maybe she would go for her run after all. Just for a little clarity. 

With the blanket around her shoulders, Maikki deposited the glass in the sink before she wandered back to the room Axel was sleeping in, where she had dragged her duffel of clothes when it became clear she’d be sleeping in there again. She left the blanket on the bed as she started to dig for her tennis shoes in the bag. 

“Maik? Why are you up?” Axel’s deep voice was husky with sleep as he called her name, propping himself up on one elbow. 

“Can’t sleep,” She murmured with a shrug, staring at him with a shoe in each hand. 

“Come on, come try. You can’t go running now,”

“I can,”

“You shouldn’t. If your head feels anything like mine you should come back to bed.” He shifted, pulling the blankets back. “I even kept it warm for you,”

With a sigh, Maikki dropped her shoes on top of her bag, stripping off her clothes as she crossed the room to lay beside the broad man. Really, he would have been a great catch if she could bring herself to say that a relationship with him was what she wanted. But she never could. There was always a name that came up first. 

As Axel settled his arms around her waist, pulling her into his chest tightly, Maikki couldn’t help but touch the side of her cheek, where Vale had planted his kiss. It seemed like hours ago, but hadn’t been more than five minutes. With a sigh, she wrapped her arms up in Axel’s, and nestled into his chest to go to sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

The first three races of the 2022 season had been... middling at best. She was still set to finish in the top five by her calculations, but Maikki was never one to be thrilled to settle in the top five. It was apt to put her off her game even further. What she needed was to withdraw, be alone for a little while, do a ton of yoga, relax into her break between races. What was going to happen? Probably a lot of time with the Tribu at the ranch.

Hungover and slightly pissed, Maik rolled off the plane in Marini, feeling gloomy and entirely in her own head. 

"Hey, pouty!" Maik couldn't help but frown as she turned to glare at a grinning Valentino. "What's gotten into you?"

She didn't answer, waving a hand as he fell into step beside her. If she looked over at him, she'd loose the anger she had been cultivating for the whole flight back from Brno to his infectious grin. 

"Me, I'm not happy about the race. I think I'll go practice. But first I'll hang out with a beer and some video games."

“Don’t kid yourself. You’re just going to go hop on the bike,” Maikki murmured finally as she risked a glance at Vale. He was grinning at her broadly, an arm over her shoulder. 

“You know it. Care to join?”

“I don’t know, Vale. I’m probably just going to go home for a while. Lay low.” She shrugged, sparing her teammate a hug. “I’ll see you later this week,”

He shrugged, still smiling in that weirdly knowing way - like he knew somehow she would be at the ranch sooner than that. 

Maikki took a cab home, breathing a sigh of relief as she stepped into her space. She was home so rarely that she was sometimes kind of surprised by the state of the place. Had she really hung that painting there? When did she get new pillows? It all took a while to process. 

She didn’t even bother to unpack her bag before she threw herself down on her bed, pulling the fluffy white comforter over her and falling asleep almost immediately. 

Just after noon, she found herself freshly showered and pacing. She had woken up long enough to throw in a load of laundry, which she had switched to the drier after another nap. She had painted her nails, done a sheet mask, even deep conditioned her hair, but now she found she didn’t have anything else to do. And the apartment was too quiet. 

‘How many guys are at the house?’ She texted Vale as she started to pack up her knives, getting ready to head out. 

‘Just us old dudes.’ His reply was pretty quick, and made Maikki smile. 

‘I got dinner.’

It took an hour for her to get to Tavullia, on the back of her little red cafe racer. She parked it in Vale’s smaller garage, pulling off riding accessories as she made her way up the long drive to the house, arm hooked through the strap of her helmet with a backpack full of groceries. 

“I hope you all have a beer for me,”

Nobody answered her call. Frowning, Maik dumped her helmet on the edge of the counter and started unloading her groceries and knives. She had planned to make a quick roast for the guys, but they evidently weren’t in the house, she couldn’t see them on the back porch and she knew they weren’t on the track. That left the office.

‘Where is everyone?’ She texted Vale rather than set off on the fools errand of looking for them, preparing the meat for the oven. Just as she was searing the last side of her meat, her phone began ringing. Maikki has to reach across the kitchen for it, holding the roast up with a pair of tongs. 

“Kankkunen,” She wedged the phone between her ear and her shoulder, turning the heat off in the pan so she could load the bottom of it with veggies.

"Where are you?"

"In your kitchen, Valentino. Where are you all?"

"Must have just missed us. We were at the office and now we're going to the track." He paused, talking to someone with his hand over the speaker. "Need a pickup?"

"Which track?" Maikki considered his offer - it was a long way from the house to the garage where the bikes were kept. It didn't really matter what track they were gathered at, the garage was far, the tracks were farther. She wondered how many "accessory people" as she called the entourage of assistants, girlfriends, and photographers that gathered around the Ranch when they were practicing. 

"Flat."

"Sure, come get me. I'm putting dinner in the oven."

"Enough for ten?" She could hear him putting over on his bike, moving slowly from the track towards the house.

"Now we're ten?" She was slightly taken aback, bending to put the roast in the oven. "I think we'll be fine."

There was radio silence from Vale, but she could hear the front door open and slam shut behind him, and the telltale creak of his leathers. 

"What's for dinner, cara mia?" He came around the corner of the kitchen, leathers hanging off his hips as he sniffed the air. 

"A beef roast, with veggies." She hugged the rider, even though she had just been on an hours-long flight with him. "Come on, ride me over to the garage,"

"So many years you tell me not to ride you, and..." He winked, laughing as the pair made their way out the front again. Maik hopped up on the bike behind Vale, an arm casually around his waist as she sat sidesaddle, her motorcycle booties dangling above the asphalt. She knew he was only kidding - he had another model girlfriend at the moment, even though Maikki had never had the pleasure of running into the girl. It was starting to get to the point where he was going through them like fresh underwear, really. Maybe it was his advanced age. "I have a surprise for you, Maik."

"Oh yeah? What did I do to deserve a surprise?" She laughed as the pair pulled into the garage where the guys were sitting - Valentino's core crew, including Uccio, Dani, Albi, Luca and a few of the boys from the academy - in various stages of disarray and undress in a hodgepodge of leathers. She hopped off the bike to give hugs, berating Valentino as she did.

"Yeah, ten. Where did they teach you how to count, Vale?" She called, rubbing Luca's blonde head as she turned to the last man - someone she knew, because who wouldn't recognize those side burns, but had never met in person. "And you'd be Guy Martin. Forgive me for being starstruck,"

"Is she being sarcastic?" The road racing legend's accent was so thick it was nearly unintelligible to the Finn, and she found Valentino grinning at both of them.

"Usually yes. Right now, no." Valentino clapped her on the shoulder and turned her back toward the road racing legend, speaking Italian. "Go on, cara mia," 

"It figures you two would be friends," Maik murmured as she offered a had to Guy, who shook her arm heartily. He and Vale had a very similar bearing about them - something about not giving a fuck, being part of the "old guard" of racing. Vale, though, was much more relaxed, happier. Guy seemed haughty, angry even. Maybe it was his thick, nearly-unintelligible Irish brogue. 

"Does it now, wee lass?" Maikki lifted an eyebrow at the man, and was about to open her mouth to defend herself before he continued. "It's Maikki, right?"

"Yeah, Maikki Kankkunen. I'm used to folks not caring who I am until after I smoke them on the track," She explained, perhaps a little haughtily. Maikki wasn’t sure she liked the way Guy was looking at her - like a particularly juicy steak. 

"But I've watched you race before,"

"Have you?" She asked, eyebrow lifted. 

"Well, yeah, when I retired," Maik shook her head at the smiling man as she started to brush past him, waving a hand. 

"Can someone gas me up while I change?" She looked directly at Alec, one of the mechanics Vale kept on staff with a raised eyebrow. "Like, I'll handle it, but the quicker -"

"I got you, Maik."

She paced into the locker room, shedding layers as she went. She was stepping into her leathers to pull over the cool suit when she heard Vale address her from the door. How long had he been standing there, she wondered absently as she recounted a slightly embarrassing struggle with her sports bra in the sticky heat of the packed garage.

"I should have told you he was here, right? Is that why you're upset?" Maikki sighed, pulling her suit up to her waist to zip before she tuned to her teammate.

"I'm not upset, Vale. Why do you think I'm upset?"

He didn't answer, just shook his head as she walked over to him with her helmet tucked under her arm. Vale didn't say anything as he surveyed her in her undone leathers. She didn't need to think too hard about it to see the slight hint of jealousy in his eyes. it was always there when she was around other men - something that made her roll her eyes almost as much as she tried to willfully ignore it.

"What? Vale, I'm fine."

"Well come on, then, kid, come kick some old man ass then,"

"Well I really feel bad kicking Dani and Abli's asses, but you know..."

Maik rolled up to the start, looking at the men around her with a sigh. She had chatted a little with Guy - he was interesting and quite charming, but difficult to understand and full of himself. And he seemed to look down on her for being a woman, and there was nothing that pissed Maikki off more than someone not taking her seriously as a rider. So, she had to beat him. She knew she could beat most of the guys handily - like Albi and Alec without any to-do - but she would be damned if she lost to Guy.

Cranking her 450, she stared around the track for a minute, observing her competition before she focused her attention on Dani, who was acting the part of flag girl even after a rude comment or two from Guy about how Maik should probably have been playing that role.

Wow did he rub her the wrong way, even after the pseudo-compliment about her racing. He and Vale weren't the same at all, she realized. Valentino was bright, never brought anyone down unless they really deserved it. Guy was firing from the hip, somewhat bitter behind that winning grin. 

Dani dropped the flag and the field of eight took off, Maikki letting herself settle onto her bike and darting around the guys until she was on Vale's tail in the first corner. Guy was pegged behind her rear tire, and she didn't have to work that hard at keeping him behind her. Interesting.

Three laps, and she snuck past Vale, leg out as she leaned a little too low instead of sliding. One lap later, Guy passed Vale, but didn't make an attempt on her position for the rest of the race. Ten laps, they were done, and Maikki tore her helmet off at the finish, tossing her gloves into it as she stuffed it onto her handlebars.

"Dude, what the fuck?" She asked, turning on Guy who had parked next to her. "Did you just give me that?"

"What?"

"You didn't even try to pass me," Maik shook a finger at the road race legend, frowning. "Dani, did you watch?"

"I did, but - "

"No, Maik is right. Guy, why did you give her that win?" If anyone was going to be angry about Guy's egregious sexism with her, it was Valentino - and not because he even cared about making sure women were treated equally, but because he was incredibly upset that she had been handicapped at all.

"Wow, temper, temper, kids," Valentino raised his eyebrows as he leaned on Maikki's bike next to her, looking even more offended to have been referred to as a kid. "I was just testing out the chick, Jesus."

"I have five Championships and you are the one that needs to test me out? Go fuck yourself," Maikki turned away from the Irishman, cracking her shoulders as she shooed Vale away from her bike. "Yeah, I think I'm done for the day, Vale. I'll catch you all up at the front."

"What about motocross?" Maikki turned to look a Guy as he addressed, her eyebrow raised.

"What about it?" She asked insolently, knowing how angry her expression was.

"I've heard you look great in your outfit," The TT rider's eyes were dancing as he stared at her, his grin broad even as the men around them stared in slightly stunned silence. Was he actually making fun of her? Making some horribly misguided attempt at flirting? Just trying to get a rise out of her? Was he actually that shitty to all women?

Maikki took a deep, calming breath. It didn't do to let the guys know when she was well and truly ticked off, she knew that from experience. So she plastered a fake grin on her face and dug into her deepest sarcasm, ignoring a concerned glance from Valentino. 

"Better than you, no contest. But I'm concerned, do you need help to change or can you do that on your own? Zippers require a lot of brain cells to operate,"

Their verbal sparring continued through the racing, until the group sat around the fire, drinking beers and reflecting on the day. They had convinced Maikki to stay around to race on the motocross track until she had to run in and get dinner out of the oven.

"So how long are you here for, your highness?" Maik asked Guy across the fire. He was lucky he was an attractive asshole - Maikki wasn't afraid to admit she would have stopped speaking to him a while ago if it wasn't for that charming smile. 

"Wednesday, right gents? We've got some filming business tomorrow,"

"Oh, joy," She glanced over at Valentino, who shrugged. "Was I supposed to know about that?"

"I was just assuming you'd be here, Maik," Maikki rolled her eyes as she got up, trailing her way inside for beers and the bathroom. 

As she stepped out of the guest bath, she almost ran into Guy and his sideburns. Maikki opened her mouth to say something witty to the man, but he wrapped a hand around the back of her head and pulled her lips to his. She stiffened for a moment as she processed what was going on, but let her hands drift to his sideburns and back into his thick waves. They walked back into the bathroom, step for step, turning as Guy used her back to shut the door. 

What was she doing? They had been at each other's throats all day, and now she was letting him stick his tongue down hers - and his hands really almost anywhere they wanted to go. 

God, sometimes it sucked to be a motorcycle chick with a thing for motorcycle guys.

After a few long moments pinned against the door with his hands up under her shirt, Maikki pushed him away gently, two fingers pressed into his chest.

"Easy, big boy," She murmured, pressing him away. "I'm not doing this in Valentino's bathroom,"

"How about in one of his bedrooms?"

"Forward. Maybe later, there's still a lot of night left," Maikki grinned, letting her fingertips trail down his side as she slipped out the door, back to the kitchen.


	20. Chapter 20

Maikki stretched as the group started to make their way indoors for the night, drawing apart to the various guest rooms of the house. After their incident in the bathroom, Guy had hardly been able to take his eyes off her, and the attention hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Vale, can I borrow your couch?" Maikki asked, trading her beer bottle for a glass of water. She had passed out on that couch many times - so often that she even knew where he kept the blankets for it. 

"Why do you even ask anymore, Maik?" He waved his hand at her, frowning as he walked out of the kitchen toward his bedroom. "Just be careful,"

"Careful?" Guy asked, leaning in the doorway that led back to the guest rooms, an eyebrows raised. Maikki was similarly perplexed as she looked after Valentino, chewing her bottom lip. "Why careful?"

"I don't know." If she had been even slightly more sober, the question would have given her pause, but instead it was Guy's lips that stopped her train of thought. 

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his chest tightly as they kissed. She let him walk her backwards toward the hallway, to his borrowed bedroom. His fingers were blunt and he kicked the door shut behind them, letting it almost slam as his fingers explored her body, relieving her of her clothes. Soon she found herself naked under his touch, and he held her body to his shirtless chest, teeth scraping her nipple piercing. 

They didn’t say a single word - he spun her onto the bed, and pulled a condom out of his wallet. God, he was such a hick. And she thought Finns were the red necks of Europe...

Maikki didn’t have a moment to follow that thought as he thrust roughly into her, pulling her into his chest by a hand on her back and a handful of her hair. She couldn’t help but gasp - and not in a good way. 

“Fuck, ow,” He backed off a little, his teeth nibbling on top of her shoulder. His thrusts still made her wince, and she slipped her fingers between them to massage her own clit. 

Fuck, he was selfish. He ignored her instructions to slow it down a little, jackhammering hard. It wasn’t the worst sex she had ever had, but she was obligated to fake an orgasm for the first time in a long time. Maikki dressed quietly before she slipped out of the room, leaving him to fall asleep, snoring so loudly she could hear him like he was next to her as she padded out to the kitchen for water. Her body was vibrating and not in a good way. It was almost pained, tired. Shaky. 

The television was on, so someone had beaten her to her favorite perch, but maybe she could curl up in one of the pair of enormous accent chairs and sleep. The TV would be quieter than the snoring, that was certain.

“What’re you watching?” She asked, guessing that the curly haired head she could see belonged to Vale. 

“You’re exhausting, do you know that?” He sounded exhausted himself, watching her as she sat on the arm of the couch, the tops of her toes pressed into the fabric, curled under her feet as she stretched her shins. Valentino gazed at her for a long moment before he shook his head, letting it rest against the back of the couch. “God, sometimes I forget how young you are.”

“What are you talking about, Vale?” She was closer to thirty than he was any more, but that wasn’t saying much. Maik frowned at the man, leaning down to wrap her arms under her knees, resting her chin on one. 

“Why do you let men take advantage of you?”

“Excuse me?” Maik’s anger buoyed her head up off her knee, glaring. She knew he cared about her, but this was too much. She hadn't let Valentino slut-shame her about her conquests since Marquez, and that was only because of the obvious conflict of interests when Marc tried to kill him on a regular basis. “What right do you -“

“Maikki. Do you know what he just did to you?” Vale sounded exhausted, and he scrubbed his hands over his face. 

“If you want a blow-by-blow,”

“Guy has a partner. And two kids.”

She felt like she had been thrust into a vacuum - the air sucked out of her lungs. It took her a minute to parse through what he had just said, feeling betrayed. Violated. It took her a long moment to find her voice.

“What the fuck...” Maik felt her fingertips covering her mouth in horror as her lips worked, trying to figure out what to say. “No,”

She wasn’t sure wether she should be angry or upset, but there were going to be tears either way. Vale seemed to sense it and reached out to take one of her hands in his, and Maik let him pull her from the arm of the chair into his chest as she sobbed, feeling absolutely betrayed. 

Why was it that Vale was always around when she was fucking crying, Maik wondered between tears as he stroked her hair. 

“What the fuck,” She managed through a thick sob, her face pressed into Valentino's chest. "How could I be so stupid?"

"It isn't your fault, Maikki."

"How is it not?" Her voice sounded wet and far away, hardly recognizable. "It's fine when I get hurt, but I can't... Fuck, what about his kids, Valentino?"

After a good while of back-and-forth about how it wasn't her fault, Maikki finally passed out on Vale's shoulder, curled up into a tiny, defensible ball on his spacious couch.


	21. Chapter 21

The morning sunlight woke her - her head was splitting, her eyes felt bloodshot and swollen. She was alone on the couch, but Vale had obviously pulled a blanket over her and tucked her in before he went back to bed. Stretching languidly as she tried to ignore the swirl of emotions raging in her head, Maikki sought her duffel bag for a toothbrush and made her way to one of the guest baths to clean herself up for the day.

She was pulling ingredients out of the fridge to start making a round of pancakes and bacon when Valentino's bedhead appeared at her side, taking the mug from her "station" to refill with coffee.

"I didn't expect you up so early, cara mia," He murmured as he pressed the mug into her hands, his fingers lingering on hers. 

"It's bright in here," She said with a shrug, leaning to press her forehead against his shoulder for a long minute as he rubbed her back gently. "And I have a lot on my mind."

Valentino settled in the bar stools across from her, watching her work with his head in his hand while scrolling through his phone flat on the counter. He glanced up as she started to measure the flour for her pancakes, all the warning Maikki got before a pair of unfamiliar hands settled on her waist.

"Good morning, lovely," The side burn that brushed against her cheek made her stomach flutter, but it wasn't enough to overcome quite how angry she was at him - at the circumstance he had put her in.

"Get your hands off me," Maikki growled, reaching for another measure of flour. There was nowhere for her to pull away to, between his body and the counter so all she could do was continue working. He didn't retreat for one long, tense moment as Maikki leveled off the measuring cup, moving slowly and with dogged purpose.

"Guy," Valentino's voice was uncharacteristically gruff, low and warning. Maikki didn't have to look up from her work to know he was staring levelly at the other rider - and because Vale was so apt to smile and his personality bubbly, it was intimidating to see his face darken. 

Guy moved away, and she heard him empty the coffee pot into a mug, not bothering to refill it. She didn't ask him to - the less she spoke to him, the less chance she would end up shouting, then crying, and then everyone would see her cry and that certainly wasn't allowed. Maikki turned as he crossed to sit in one of the bar stools, emptying the old grounds and refilling the pot.

"What, did I come down in the middle of some couple's tiff?" Maikki stared down at her hand, which shook as she refilled the water with the pot. She considered staying silent, because Valentino didn't deserve to get caught up in her drama, but she couldn't help herself as she slid the pot slowly back onto the burner, starting the coffee.

"No, but I didn't ask to get caught up in yours." Her voice was quiet, but in the silence of the kitchen, she knew it carried. She could hear the men breathing, for Christ's sake. As she turned, she pointed to her phone on the counter. "Vale, could you turn on my music, please?" The rest of the guys would be starting to stir, and she didn't want them hearing whatever terse conversation she was about to have with Guy.

He nodded, unlocking her phone and scrolling to the music app. He selected Behemoth, an apt choice to reflect Maikki's mood. Over their years as friends, he had gotten good at that - and had also learned the passcode to her phone.

"I don't know why you decided to do what you did, Guy. I don't care. I don't appreciate it, it's not right. So you will stay far, far away from me until you leave." She stared at him levelly for a moment, and found it was hard work to hate that lopsided smile, those dimples, even when it was mocking her.

"Your call, lass. Just because you regret what you did doesn't mean you didn't do it."

"Excuse me?" Maikki was almost bewildered by the statement, how quick he was to turn the blame over on her. Her hands stopped working, stopped mixing the dry ingredients for her pancake batter. "Could you explain to me how this is my fault, again?"

"I didn't ask you to feel guilty."

"Shut the fuck up, Guy." Vale's voice was dangerously low, his face drawn with anger - probably more than she had ever seen.

"Oh, was she off limits? Was she yours? Sorry to step on your toes -"

"Seriously. Shut up. I'm under contract to ride with you until this afternoon, but then I want you out of my house." Vale's words were careful, his English almost impeccably clear. Guy opened his mouth to say something as Maikki focused down on mixing the wet and dry ingredients together, thinking hard about her recipe so as to not over mix the pancakes and to ignore some of the tension that would make her hands shake if she wasn't holding the bowl and rubber spatula. "I don't want to hear it. You can't come into my home and disrespect my friends like this."

"Wow, man, I didn't think you'd get upset over some broad,"

"Maikki is not 'some broad,' and she's right fucking there." As Valentino pointed at her Maikki turned away toward the griddle she was heating. "No. Get out of my face. I don't want to see you until filming."

She tried not to listen too intently to the silence behind her, knowing the pair were staring hard at one another. She had never seen Valentino as legitimately angry as she had before she turned her back to the pair, and had to begrudgingly respect Guy for having the stones to stand up to that expression. Even though she fucking hated him, at this point. 

"It's just funny," Guy was walking away, around the kitchen toward the guest rooms. "I never thought I'd be lectured for fucking a girl from Valentino Rossi,"

Maikki knew exactly what was coming, and whipped around to dart to the far side of the counter, getting between Vale and Guy with her hands on the Italian's chest. Valentino's face was dark, creased with anger, his eyes shadows of the brilliant dancing blue they normally were. He almost bulldozed through her to get to Guy, but stopped short, his hands on her shoulders like he was debating moving her out of the way.

"Out! Get the fuck out of my house, Martin!" She didn't turn to see if Guy was reacting, but by Valentino's face, he had definitely made a rude gesture.

"We're under contract, Valentino, don't forget it," Martin's tone was mocking, it sounded like he was smiling. Maikki pushed Vale back, looking up at him insistently.

"You'd do well to find yourself a hotel room, Guy," She murmured, still looking up at Vale's dark face. "If I were you I'd get my shit and leave."

"Guys? What's going on?" Dani stood in the doorway in a pair of gym shorts, his dark hair disheveled. He cut a more impressive figure than Valentino - taller, broader, with tattoos and a little padding around his stomach. He frowned at Maikki, and the frown morphed into a scowl as he looked past her to where Guy was most assuredly still standing. Dani walked toward Valentino to put a hand on his shoulder, still looking past them both. "Maikki, I think something is about to burn on the stove,"

She knew she had been relieved, but even so she cautiously pulled her hands off Vale's chest, looking up to try and gauge his expression before she retreated back to the kitchen to flip the pancakes that were definitely a bit too browned. The bacon needed to come out, too, and she pulled it from the oven as the pair of Italians murmured tersely to one another. It was good to focus on something. She heard Guy's footsteps down the hallway, and turned back toward the pair when the guest door slammed.

Dani and Vale were standing, facing each other, Dani's hand on Valentino's shoulder as he murmured to the rider, who nodded. After a few tense moments Dani finally turned to Maikki, who stood with her coffee cup in hand as she stared at the rider and his childhood friend, waiting. Absently, she wondered if she should fill another mug for Dani, but the man in question interrupted her as she reached for it.

"Maikki, love, would you mind grabbing Albi for us, please?"

She nodded numbly and let her feet carry her toward the set of rooms on Valentino's side of the house - there were three, there, and that was where Albi and Dani tended to stay. She passed Vale's room, resisting the urge to peek in the slightly open door, past where she knew Dani was staying, and knocked tentatively on the third door.

"Albi? Are you up?"

"Maik?" The door opened - Albi was rubbing a towel through his hair, like he had just taken a shower. "Everything ok?"

"Could be worse, I guess. Can you come out to the living room?"

"I thought I heard someone shout," He muttered darkly, turning to toss the towel on his bed and pick up his cell from the nightstand. He followed Maikki down the hall, where he split off to where Vale was now sitting at the counter, head in hand as Dani stood, arms crossed and staring off down toward the guest rooms. 

Maik drifted past the pair back into the kitchen, her safe space. She poured two fresh mugs of coffee for Dani and Albi, and refilled Vale's almost empty mug before she started putting more pancakes on the griddle and moved the bacon off the tray to drain. The repetitive, familiar motion was relaxing, gave her something to do that wasn't fretting.

"What happened?"

"I'm afraid Maikki happened - sorry, cara mia," Vale murmured at the marble counter, rubbing his temples. 

"No, it's absolutely my fau -"

"Not another word, Maikki. That's not true and you know it." He sighed, still looking at her across the island when she turned back to flip her pancakes. "Maikki and Guy slept together last night,"

"Fuck, Maik, you pull tail," Albi's voice had a grin to it, but Dani and Vale's faces were still dark when she turned back. "Oh, that's not a good thing."

"Not when you've got a partner and two kids you forgot to fucking mention, it's not," Maikki frowned at her feet, holding her coffee in both hands.

"So he comes out of the room and is combative to Maik, she tells him to fuck off, he gets worse. I tell him to fuck off, he gets even worse, and then I kicked him out." Valentino straightened, taking a long drink from his cup. "The takeaway from all of this is that I never want to see him on my property again, and how do I get out of riding with him today. Was there enough footage from yesterday?"

"I think I can pull that off. I'm going to make a few calls." Albi was already pacing away, his phone in his hand. Contract issues were his bread and butter - even if Dani was the head of Vale’s legal team. 

"I need a cigarette," Dani murmured before he walked out back to light up. Vale stood, like he was torn between walking out with Dani and staying with Maik. Quickly, not wanting to meet his eye, Maikki turned back to her griddle to line up a fresh set of pancakes. Really, she didn't need to make so many, but she counted on the fact that the boys would be coming up from their "dorm" and would be hungry for breakfast.

"Cara mia," He was behind her, close behind, a hand on her shoulder as she set the spatula down. "I'm sorry I -"

"It's fine, Vale. I didn't expect him to react that way, I guess." She leaned back against his chest, taking a quiet moment to heave a deep sigh. "I don't know if I should be feel bad about it,"

Vale didn't say anything as he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly to his chest but leaving her arms free. There was comfort there, a strange warmth that she didn’t deserve, that she shouldn’t enjoy because she had made the decision that she couldn’t have him. 

“Are you ok?” His voice was hardly a whisper, soft against her ear. She nodded, she was fine. At least she thought so. “I know you can handle your shit, Maik. But I couldn’t stand the way he was talking to you.”

“I don’t know if I could have. Stood up for myself.” She breathed, reaching for the spatula to quickly flip the pancakes before she let her fingertips settle on his arm. “I was running out of steam.”

He settled his face into the space between her neck and shoulder, sighing deeply. His breath left a train of goosebumps down her arms. She wondered if he noticed. 

She heard the front door open and close - Guy, with his things, leaving. The back French door opened, and Dani came back in to perch on a barstool. Vale straightened, his hands moving to her shoulders as he took a step back. Maikki held one of his hands with hers, pulling her pancakes off the griddle with the other. 

“Vale, a word?” It was Albi, from the doorway. Valentino squeezed her hand gently and pulled away, leaving her with Dani. 

For a moment, she stared after him, wondering. Was she wrong? Was it stupid for her to keep them apart - when she wanted him so badly? When he obviously wanted her? Just because of her reputation? Dani cleared his throat and jolted her out of her train of thought. 

“Sorry, Dani, want a pancake?”

“More than one would be cool,” He said with a smile, reaching for a plate from the center of the counter. 

“I might’ve made too many.”

“I’m sure the boys will love a few.” He cited the kids that would soon be arriving back at the ranch to train with Valentino. And her, she supposed. She was as much a fixture there as Vale. Dani sighed as he buttered his pancakes. “Maikki, I have a question,”

“Shoot,”

“You and Vale,” Oh, boy. She grabbed her own pancake with her bare fingers, squeezing it to see how spongy it was. “Why aren’t you -“

“Reasons. It just wouldn’t -“ She interrupted, hoping to cut off the train of Dani’s thought. Instead, he interrupted her back. 

“I don’t believe that, Maikki.” She shrugged, spreading butter on her pancake if only to avoid looking up at Vale’s childhood friend. He was making too much sense for her to make eye contact with. 

“It’s selfish. For me. It’s because I have my own career, I don’t want people to say he gives me anything. He’s too famous. I’m too young. We’ve been friends too long,”

“I think that sounds like a bunch of excuses that don’t really make sense, Maikki. But, what do I know,” He shrugged and tucked into his pancakes, scarfing a few bites before he stopped to stare up at her in wonder. “Fuck, man, these are so good.”


	22. Chapter 22

It was the fourth race of a new season. Maikki stood in Vale’s paddock, staring out at the deluge that nearly drowned the track at Jerez. It wasn’t the rain that was the problem - it was the lightning and the occasional small tornado. It had been a long time since a race had been cancelled for weather, but here they were, witnessing history. Well, fuck. 

“That’s not happening today, is it, cara mia?” Vale asked, behind her. All three of them - Maverick included - had changed out of their leathers when it became clear it was going to rain for a while. Maikki shook her head. 

“I don’t think so,” She shook her head, turning away from the spray of rain. “God this is gonna be a boring trip.”

“What makes you say that?” Vale asked, leaning against his bike as she pressed into a handstand, letting her feet dip back by her head. “Hold that pose, I need an Instagram.”

“Oh, fuck you,” She grinned, stretching one foot up into the air as the other dangled by her ear. “Do we have any contractual obligations?”

The answer was yes - after a gauntlet of photo ops, signatures, and greetings, the trio sat at the restaurant bar with some of their crew and other riders, laughing at something or another that Mav had said. 

“Oh god, does anyone have a cigarette?” She asked finally, accepting a pack and a lighter from Mav’s data tech. 

“Can I?” Vale only half-asked before he yanked one of his arms over her shoulder, forcing her up onto his back for a piggyback ride out to the covered area to smoke. 

“Hey hey, il dottore, put me down!”

“Don’t want to,” Vale laughed, spinning in a circle before he bent his knees to her her toes touch the ground. She presented him with a lit cigarette, smiling. “Ah, mia stellina, boss lady,”

“Remind me to get that on my leathers sometime.”

“What, boss lady?” Rossi asked, reaching out to touch his free hand to hers. She wrapped her fingers in his to squeeze his hand, smiling with the cigarette between her lips. 

“Nah. Stellina. Nice ring to it.”

“Man, you drive me nuts.” He shook his head, his thumb caressing her wrist gently as they smoked. Maikki was just drunk enough to stay what she was thinking as she looked down at their hands, wondering. 

“Why do we do this to ourselves, Vale?” He frowned at her, lips pursed. He didn’t ask what she meant, just waited for her to explain herself. He could be so patient, especially with her. Maikki had always admired that. “Why have I done this to us?”

“Cara mia,” He began, haltingly, watching her with those big blue eyes. “I can’t answer that. You know how I feel,”

She didn’t say anything for a long moment, finishing her cigarette. She owed Mav’s tech a new pack, she mused as she pulled out another one. He took it from her lips to split, taking a long breath before he passed it back. 

“Don’t start me up, Maikki. I’ve started to sort of accept this.”

Maikki couldn’t figure out what to say, trying to think of a reply. She couldn’t, so she breathed through the filter of the cigarette, considering. They had been friends for almost a decade, and in all that time she felt like her excuse of protecting her career from his was starting to get more and more flimsy - especially as she had relationships with other riders. Why did she hold him at arm's length? Did she need to any more?

“Honestly, Maik? I want you. I’ll always want you. But you’re part of my tribu. You’re one of my best friends. We shouldn’t throw that away.” He paused shaking his head, his tone leading her to think he didn't quite believe what he was saying. Kind of like every time she said her excuses out loud. His fingers brushed against hers as he took the cigarette from her for a long breath, squinting at her with one eye closed. “Why are we talking about this? What’s on your mind, Maik?”

“I don’t know, Vale. It’s something I think about sometimes. Just not usually when we’re together and drinking.” She accepted the cigarette back from him, letting him pull her into his arms for a long squeeze, stroking her hair in its high ponytail. After a long minute they pulled apart and lit another cigarette each. 

“You know,” Maikki shook her head, reaching to touch her fingertips to his close-cropped curls. “You should let it grow back out.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s cute long.”

"Oh, knock it off, Maik," He waved her off, cigarette in hand. "You're still not changing your mind right now, so don't start with me."

"Who says?"

"I say. We've had too many drinks for you to go back on a decade of... whatever this is." Maikki looked away from him, at the deluge that clouded the parking lot. He was right, as usual. Few people got to see this side of the Italian - the sage side, the analytically intelligent side that was almost always tempered by his goofy antics. He always let her in, though, to these private, quiet Valentino moments.

As if to prove that he couldn't go too long without those antics, she felt a pair of hands on her back - and suddenly, she was stumbling into the pouring rain, trying not to shriek in shock as she danced back under the cover. Her cigarette was soaked - as was most of her body. Thank god her phone was still sitting on the bar inside.

"Vale! What the fuck!" He was grinning broadly, impishly as she shook her hair out at him. When he shielded himself from her assault, a hand up to block his eyes, she attacked and pushed him into the rain with every ounce of force she had. He stumbled, still laughing as he pulled her with him, an arm impossibly tossed around her shoulders. 

"Checkmate," He murmured, pulling her in to hold her close. He was so warm, she mused, huddled close against his chest against the cold of the Spanish rain. "You're gorgeous,"

"You're confusing."

"So are you."

Maik took a step back, leading both of them back under cover. She was wringing out her hair, considering another cigarette from the pack she had dropped on the ground when a warm hand cupped her chin, drawing her eyes up to his. She stared into his stormy blue eyes, drinking him in. Really, this was when he was most attractive to her - contemplative, a small smile playing over one side of his lips. It was the expression that made photographers click away, and turn those photos black-and-white, thinking they'd captured the depth of the man.

"It's not a decision for today, Maikki. But I think about it."

She threaded her fingers through his against her cheek, knowing her eyebrows were knit together tightly. Even though it was a terrible idea, she had to fight the urge to throw herself at him, pin him to one of the columns and tell him how she had really felt for nearly ten years. Was she drunk? Or was she just finally starting to admit to herself she had been interested all along - just afraid to act?

"But right now, I think I want to go out." He squeezed her hand tightly before he let go, using the same hand to push his drenched curls back out of his face. 

"Out where?"

"I don't know. Dancing. Somewhere to make my girlfriend jealous," Vale put his arm over her shoulders as they walked back into the bar.

"Which one is this?"

"Katja."

"Finnish?"

"Finnish." He paused just before they got back to the bar, his grin mischievous again. "Looks a bit like you, really,"

"You're awful," Maik pushed Valentino away playfully as they walked back to the bar, amid whoops from the group, questioning why they were soaked.

"Reenacting the Notebook, obviously," Vale joked, as Maikki rolled her eyes, shaking her head. Mav pursed his lips, an eyebrow raised.

"I thought your Finn was an underwear model, Valentino," The pair often rode hot and cold on one another - tempers were almost more apt to flare between teammates than actual opponents in MotoGP, and Vale and Mav were both relatively hot-headed. 

"I'm not his Finn, but I'll have you know, I'm still an underwear model," Maikki joked, poking Mav in the side. He slid away from her, avoiding the poke, and Maikki jumped at him, giving her teammate a damp hug.


	23. Chapter 23

Maikki sat on her balcony with a cup of coffee, watching the sun rise over Cattolica. While rising before she sun wasn't unusual for the rider, not immediately launching into her day was. She needed a moment, though, to collect her thoughts. Or at least to try to.

Today was the fifth anniversary of Nicky's death. 

It was insane to her still, to think that he wasn't just a phone call away. That she couldn't just dial him in Kentucky and hear his drawling voice calling her baby like he always did. Maikki tipped her head back, staring up at the sky as it slowly lightened. It wasn't like her to question why things happened, because there was always a clear, logical reason. A mistake, a miscalculation. But still, five years later, she was still asking, why Nicky? Why her hirvi?

They had met for the first time when Maikki was still in Moto3, a star-struck sixteen-year-old in the paddock, meeting all the riders as testing kicked into gear. Maikki had been burdened with her leathers and a massive gear bag as she toiled past Ducati's garage, and an excited Hayden had bounded out to meet her, taking some of her load as he chattered with her down toward Yamaha. Every subsequent meeting, he had always remembered her name, what they had last talked about. When she won her first championship, he had come out to drinks in Valencia with her and her team,

Maikki sighed into her coffee cup, tapping her phone with one black-nailed finger. She had already picked a picture of the pair to post, from one of the last times she had seen him off the track. She just needed to hit post, and she wasn't sure what was holding her back.

She pressed the pad of her finger to the phone to unlock it, staring at the picture and her little caption - "i have to find the whales," a shared favorite song she found appropriate. She couldn't listen to it without crying any more. The picture was of the pair sprawled in a field in Tavullia sweaty in clashing sets of motocross gear, their bikes visible behind them leaning against one another. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and Maikki had her chin perched on her gloved hand on his chest, laying perpendicular to him. Their smiles were bright. 

She knew the risks. They all knew the risks. But Nicky hadn't even died on the track, he had died on a fucking bicycle ride. That was one of the tings that made it so difficult to accept.

Maikki hit post on her instagram.

It didn't take long for her phone to light up.

‘Doing ok?’

She hadn't expected Valentino to be up, but she smiled at her phone as she sipped her coffee, considering the message.

‘Still tough.’ She replied, letting her phone sit face-up so she could respond back and forth to his texts. Five years.

‘Come over for breakfast?’ Maikki couldn't help but snort at his text as she finished her coffee.

‘You mean make you breakfast. Who's around?’

‘Just me, Cecilia, and Rossano.’

‘So you and the party animals,’ Maikki tapped her phone against the table before she sent a second text. ‘I'll be over soon. Yoga.’

Maikki had to focus on not rushing her practice in her living room, but after a quick rinse she packed her knives, pulled on her jacket, and schlepped down the stairs to her bike, aiming to stop at the market on her way over to Valentino's. 

She let herself into the compound, and parked her bike in his personal garage, though her antique BMW cafe racer looked shabby next to his bright yellow Lamborghini. Maikki tucked her gloves into her helmet to leave on the workbench, hung her leather jacket on a peg and kicked off her boots before she padded into the house, toward the kitchen. The sun was just clear of the horizon and sent lazy shadows through Vale's gauzy curtains - she loved this place in the morning, when it was still quiet. 

Rossano greeted her on the counter top, and she ran her fingers through the lanky cat's orange fur before she unpacked her backpack onto the counter.

"Cara mia, did you close my garage?" Maikki rolled her eyes at the call, but made her way back through the house to press the button. By the time she got back to the kitchen, Vale was making coffee, very obviously fresh out of the shower. "Cup?"

"Please." It would be her third of the day, but she found that she was having a hard time counting her calories or monitoring her caffeine intake so far today. She accepted the mug from him while unpacking her knives. 

Vale perched on the marble, kicking his feet as he watched her work, accepting her backpack to sit on one of the bar stools behind him. It was a well-rehearsed song-and-dance, one that they did often. He reached for her phone, turned on whatever playlist she had been listening to during yoga, watched her cook. Usually, he worked on something while he waited, reading a book or a contract or reviewing new merch, but today he just waited quietly, watching her dice veggies and greens.

"Maik," He called her name quietly as she dumped her veggies into the pan to saute, and she held a hand out to him, folding him into her side as she used the spatula. He settled one arm around her shoulders, his chin on her head. 

"It's tough to think about, Vale. He got me through a lot," She murmured, squeezing his hand in hers. "Sometimes, I just... I don't know. I know that you were upset with him,"

"For too long." He said, the regret clear in his voice. "We were all trying to figure you out, mia stellina. He did it first." 

She looked up at him, an eyebrow raised a the statement, but didn't press him as she pushed the veggies around in the pan. He let her go so she could add her greens to wilt, watching her like a hawk.

"I've never asked. What happened between you?" He said finally, once she had plated their breakfast. Veggies and wilted greens with an over-easy egg, a side of home fries because he loved them too much. Maikki handed him his dish, perching on the counter next to where he sat on one of the barstools.

"I thought you knew, really, but I guess we never did talk about it." She murmured, pushing her food around more than eating it. "It feels like yesterday, almost. Especially today."

"Tell me, Maik," It was half a request, half a suggestion, as he squeezed her knee. "I'll try not to interrupt," 

Maikki set her plate to the side, scratching Rossano's head with one hand, the other on Valentino's atop her knee. Where to even begin? Nicky was part of her life for so long, she had even helped him figure out if he was ready to propose to his high school sweetheart when they got back together, not long after their... What had it been? Whirlwind relationship?


	24. Chapter 24

Before breakfast, Maikki stretched into her mat, pressing her hands down for a wobbly handstand. She needed to focus, but her elbow still hurt from the lowside she had managed on the track yesterday. At least today was a flat track day - crashes on the smaller bikes hurt less. She was ready for a 250 at most.

Between seasons and classes - she was in the middle of a move from World SuperBike back to Moto2 - Maikki had accepted Valentino's invitation to return to the Ranch to train, live rent-free, and cook for the legend. She couldn't turn down such a fantastic offer, really, so she had accepted and had been living in one of his guest rooms for the last week, getting back in the swing of training with Rossi. She had even managed not to piss off Linda too much before she left for a modeling job, leaving Maikki alone with Rossi and all his pets. More riders were set to arrive, and had been arriving - Iannone was there, Mattia Pasini, a few youths like herself, and some up-and-coming Moto3 riders. 

Lost in thought as she flowed to her current favorite Gojira album on Valentino's back porch, Maikki ignored the hullabaloo of an arrival as she practiced a tricky maneuver, pressing from her forearms to her hands, letting her spine bend with her feet still in the air before she let herself fold backward into a wheel pose. She had been alternating yoga with runs, and was feeling stronger for it.

"Well I'll be damned," Maikki's eyes popped open and she nearly collapsed in her haste to turn out of the pose. That lilt could only belong to one man.

"Nicky!" She flipped her wheel and rose to bound over to the Kentucky Kid, who dropped his bags to envelop her smaller frame in a hug. "What are you doing here!"

"Same as you, I'd reckon. Working on my Italian," He laughed, holding her by the elbows. "You've gotten some ink,"

"And you got a haircut," She mussed up his do before he let her go, trying to fix his hair. "Vale, why didn't you tell me Nicky was coming?"

"Surprise?" Valentino poked her ribs, prodding her further away from their fellow champion. "Let me get him settled in before you sink your claws in, cara mia,"

Rolling her eyes, Maikki padded back to her mat to finish greeting the unseasonably warm day. She had moved on to cooking breakfast before Nicky re-emerged, freshly showered after what was probably a long flight. Valentino sat at the island on his laptop, working on something or the other, and Hayden made a bee-line straight for the fridge.

"Why are you looking through the fridge when I'm making breakfast?" Maikki asked, reaching to rap his knuckles with the back of her spatula. 

"You're making me breakfast?"

"I'm making all of us breakfast, Nicky. Vale, where is everyone?"

"They'll get here when they get here," Valentino waved a hand, looking over his laptop. "Besides, it's nice and quiet, now."

As if to spite him, the front door blasted open again, and Maik could hear Iannone shouting about how hungry he was. If she had to roll her eyes any more today, they were going to fall out of her head, Maikki mused as Nicky snuck up on his fellow rider, ambushing him with a hug. Shaking her head, Maikki got to work on her vegetables. 

"What are you making?" Vale asked as he stored away his laptop, pacing across the kitchen to lean on the counter next to her. He crossed his arms over his chest as he watched her dice.

"Omelettes," She separated her ingredients into bowls. "There's going to be a ton of us, right?"

"I mean," Valentino did quick mental math, reaching for his coffee cup over the island. "Eleven."

"Exactly. It's an easy way to pump out a lot of food. Do you not like omelettes?" He shook his head, no, he was fine with them. 

"Are they all the same kind?" He asked as she put the bacon in the oven, tracking Nicky and Andrea as they made their way back to the kitchen.

"Maikki, are you making bacon?" Andrea asked, slipping behind the island to wrap her in a hard hug before he, too, looked in the fridge.

"What is it with you kids and looking in the fridge when I'm clearly about to make you breakfast!"


	25. Chapter 25

The fire was blazing, and the group was chattering away. Maikki sat wrapped in an old Aprilla sweatshirt that was far too big for her, feet tucked under her thighs. It had been unseasonably warm that day, warm enough out for shorts until the night fell, but she was too lazy to change into something that covered her legs. 

"Don't you race for Suzuki or something now?" Nicky asked across the circle, grinning at her as he jabbed. It was a softball, but it was always a softball with him. He was too kind to be cruel.

Maikki waved a hand at him, falling into a conversation with Iannone and one of the youths - Diego - about the results of the day, what they had noticed about each of the riders. She had missed this camaraderie in World SuperBike, Maikki mused as she glanced around the fire again. The laughing faces of the Italians - and herself and Nicky, of course, - the ability to reflect on progress with a group of people who weren't out to get one another. At least not at the moment. 

After a while, she realized her phone was ringing in her hand, and she unfurled to pace away from the group as she answered it. 

"Kankkunen,"

"Hey, it's Niko,"

"Why do you sound so down?" She asked reflexively, stopping at the edge of the pavers that lined the back patio before she stepped off into the cool grass, getting away from the sounds of her friends and rivals. "Is everything ok?"

"Maikki, there was an accident," She stopped pacing, staring out over the dark hills behind Valentino's house. "Antero, Santeri, and Jere were ice fishing. They... the ice cracked. I wanted to tell you before you found out on Facebook,"

Maikki stared numbly down at the beer in her hand as her brother rattled off the names of three of their closest childhood friends, ones who had teased her just as hard as they had supported her. Shocked, she tried to find the words to say but couldn't come up with anything. Instead, she walked down just a little bit further, to a low wall she had seen during daylight hours. 

"Niko," She was surprised at how small her voice was, setting the can down on the wall next to her. She could barely hear the guys up by the fire, carousing and having fun. 

"I know, Maikki. I don't believe it."

"When did you find out?" Was all she could think of to ask, something to take her mind off of the thought of three of her friends sinking to the bottom of an icy lake in Kuusamo.

"An hour ago. Are you gonna be ok, Maik? Are you somewhere -"

"I'm fine, I'm going to sit for a while I think." She paused, listening to his affirming grunt. "Hey Niko?"

"Yeah, Maik?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Maikki." It almost sounded like her brother had to force the words out, but she smiled just the same. "Check in with me later, ok?"

"I will."

The line went dead, and let her hands fold in her lap, her phone sitting beside her on the stone wall. After a few minutes, she realized her eyes were starting to water, and she buried her face in her hands to sob.

Christ. Three of her closest childhood friends. They had come to see her race all over Europe - even as far as America for Laguna Seca once. She had pictures with them on her phone from the last time she was home, drinking beers and riding snow machines. The logic was there - the ice obviously hadn't been thick enough yet, but they had to know that, so why had they decided to go fishing early? 

Maikki was so lost in thought she didn't notice someone walking up behind her until a soft southern drawl called her name.

"What're you doing out here, baby?" She had once asked why so many of the guys used pet names for her, and only Valentino had given her a straight answer - first, that he didn't like saying Maikki all the time because he knew he mispronounced it, and second because she was better than most of them and they were trying to bring her down a notch. Nicky, however, didn't seem like he had a problem with either of these things. He just liked calling her baby.

Maik scrubbed at her cheeks as he sat down next to her, sitting on one of his feet. 

"What was that phone call about?"

"Just... My brother called. A few of our friends had an accident ice fishing, and..." She couldn't finish the sentence, staring up at the sky as tears welled in her eyes, leaning back on her hands. 

"Aw, Maik," He reached for her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. It took a moment, but Maikki finally turned her head into his chest and let herself sob, clutching Nicky's sweater tightly. He didn't say anything, just held her tightly as she cried, stroking her hair. Soon enough, she slowed down, still leaning on his chest as she sought out his hand, wrapping her fingers into it to squeeze. He pressed his nose into her hair, heaving a big sigh. 

“Fucking sucks, doesn’t it?” He asked quietly, just loud enough for her to hear. “It’s always too soon.”

Maikki nodded quietly, playing with a bracelet around his thick wrist. He turned his palm under her hands, letting her push his fingers down under hers. They curled back around an imaginary throttle when she let go, and she repeated the process in silence. 

“I don’t like it,” She began, noting Nicky’s chuckle at her. “I don’t like it when I don’t understand it.”

“What do you mean, baby?”

“Why did they go ice fishing now? It's been so warm. They knew it wasn’t thick enough. It’s that kind of thing.”

“You can’t question people’s decision making just ‘cause it’s different ‘n yours,” He murmured quietly, trapping her fingers in his. “People don’t think the same. People think we’re crazy when we know we’re perfectly sane.”

Maikki laughed weakly as he stroked her hair, and started to shift so she could settle closer into his chest. 

“Comfy?”

“Warm.” She admitted, her head nestled under his chin. 

“How do you do it, Maik? If we’re on decision making.”

“Do what?”

“What you do. You’re the only woman on the circuit. The fastest woman in the world. One of the fastest people on our track,” He asked, settling his chin back on the top of her head, his arms wrapped around her shoulders. “What decisions do you make that are different?”

“I don’t hesitate.” And she didn’t, offering the answer immediately to his laughter. “And I know I don’t know everything.”

“So why are you still trying to figure everything out?” The question gave her pause, and she pulled away from him to look up into his eyes, considering his question. 

“Quit being so smart,” She murmured finally, planting her forehead back on his shoulder. 

“Smart? Me? You must be talking about some other redneck,” Nicky laughed, stroking her ponytail. “You gonna be ok, Maikki?”

“Have to be, don’t I?” She asked after a minute, looking back up at him. 

“Life’s too short.” 

Maikki could feel his eyes on her lips, his hands on her hips. Timing. Would it really hurt to drown her sorrows with a few kisses? His fingers lingered on her shoulder - was she reading this wrong? She quirked an eyebrow as Nicky started laughing, that bright smile splitting his face. 

“Man, girl, for someone who says she don’t hesitate, you hesitate a lot,” He murmured, pressing his stubbly cheek against hers. 

“Better with motorcycles than people,” Maikki could feel her lips brushing against the corner of his easy smile, his hand on the small of her back. “Thought I had the wrong signal,”

“And now you know what you’re getting?” He asked, still as a stone beside her. Maik reached a tentative hand into his hair, holding his face tightly to hers. 

“I don’t know, Nicky, where’s the sport now?” 

Laughing, Nicky pressed his lips against hers, a gentle hand on her cheek. After a few long, tender moments, they both shifted, Maikki perching in his lap as he held her cheek in his hand. Alarm bells were clanging in her head, reminding her fellow riders were off limits, but she ignored them to revel in the sweet beer-y taste of his lips. 

“We should get back up there, baby,” Nicky murmured into her lips after a time, still seemingly unwilling to let her go. Maikki smiled, pressing her nose into his cheek as she moved her mouth from his. 

“Yeah, yeah. You don’t have to be reasonable all the time, Nicky,” she sighed, rolling her eyes at him. 

“I’ll stop being reasonable when you stop being pretty.”

“You Americans and your charm,” She murmured, pressing her lips to his cheek. Reluctant still, she stood and reached for her phone. Valentino had texted her to ask if she was alright, so she texted back as she and Nicky trailed up the slope, aware for the first time of how cold her legs were in the damp evening. 

‘Bad phone call. Tell you over a shot.’

They passed the rest of the guys, who had obviously been warned not to be dicks, and proceeded into the house where Valentino was digging for shot glasses in a cabinet. 

“Vale, hani, they’re over here,” Maikki had to hop onto the counter to get to the top shelf of the drinks glass cabinet, passing three glasses down to Nicky before she hopped down. Both men had their arms out protectively, as if to catch her if she fell. “Fuck, guys, I’m not made of glass,”

"She says that," Valentino chimed over Maikki's head, pouring into the glasses in Nicky's hand with expert care. "So what was this phone call?"

Maikki took her glass and shot it back, holding it out for a refill. She was mindful of the concerned purse of Valentino's lips, of Nicky's hand on the small of her back, but Vale refilled the glass and she took the second shot as they took their first. She turned to lean against the kitchen island, her back to the group at the fire, arms crossed over her chest. In the quiet, as she stared at her bare toes, Valentino reached for her phone, turning on one of her playlists low in the background. It was the one she had been listening to that morning while she practiced, so Gojira filled the kitchen.

"My brother, he wanted to make sure I knew before I saw it on Facebook. But there was an ice fishing accident back home, and..." Biting her lip, Maikki stared straight at the ceiling, as if gravity would push her tears back into her eyes. "Three of my closest friends, gone. Fuck, what a horrible way to die,"

"Oh, mia stellina," Vale reached out to wrap his arms over her shoulder, pulling her into his chest for a hard hug. She knew the gangly man was saying something over her head to the Kentucky Kid behind her, but she let herself sob against his shirt all over again as Nicky rubbed her back. "I'm so sorry,"

She fought the urge to ask why it was his fault, because she knew that he meant that he was sorry this had happened. Maikki had never been the biggest fan of apologies. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Maikki straightened, looking up at Valentino's concerned face.

"It's ok, I'm ok."

"You sure?" Nicky asked, pushing a shot glass toward her. Maikki considered it, lips pursed.

"Well, no, but I will be. I think I'm just going to go to bed,"

"Come on, Maik, stay up a bit. Have another drink." Nicky was already mixing up one of her go-tos, vodka and lime seltzer with a lemon, so it wasn't like she could say no.

"And if you go to bed like that, your eyes will be puffy tomorrow," Valentino advised, wiping under her eyes with his thumbs. 

Maikki agreed as Nicky pushed a drink into her hand, and settled under his arm on one of the benches near the fire, a blanket over her legs.


	26. Chapter 26

Sleep didn't come easily to Maikki that night, and she found herself pacing back and forth in her bedroom to a quiet playlist, peppering her steps with intermittent yoga poses that she wasn't able to fully focus on. One risky forearm stand forced her to bail, and she nearly cartwheeled into the bed, swearing louder than she should have. 

There was a quiet knock at her door.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll turn it down," Really, she should have been meditating or something, but her mind was too abuzz for it. Maikki paced to the door, rubbing what would surely be a bruise on her hip as she opened it.

"Why are you still up?" Eyes narrowed with sleep, a shirtless Nicky leaned against the doorway, arms crossed. 

"Dunno, not tired." She stepped back from the door to return to her pacing, and he followed her in, closing it softly behind him. Neither said anything for a while as he perched on the dresser beside the door, hands braced between his knees as he kicked his feet.

"Maikki," His voice was soft, and he caught her arm as she paced by, forcing her to stop even though his grip was gentle. Maik looked up at him as he brushed his thumb across her tattooed skin. "Baby, are you ok?"

"I'm..." She stopped, looking up at him, eyebrows knit. No, she shouldn't just tell him she was fine. She couldn't lie to his earnest face. "I'm fucking sick of crying."

Wordlessly, he pulled her close, holding her to his bare chest. Slowly, Maik wrapped her arms around him, wondering absently why everyone's reaction to her grief was to hug her. In this case she didn't mind so much, Nicky's skin was warm and soft. He pressed the bridge of his nose against her shoulder, left bare by the sports bra she wore, and splayed his fingers over her back like he was trying to touch as much of her skin as he could. 

Gojira was singing about whales in the background, and Nicky swayed just a little with the music, like he didn't know he was moving. The thought made Maikki grin, moving with him

"Who is this? I like this," His question sent goosebumps racing across her skin, goosebumps he rubbed with his palms to soothe away.

"Gojira. They're French,"

"I like them. Can I borrow their CD?" I took Maikki a minute to realize what CD actually meant, and she found herself laughing into his neck.

"A disc? Nicky, hirvi, do you still carry those around?"

"No, but I'm glad it made you laugh," He noted, tilting her chin up so he could stare into her eyes, his gaze flicking between them. "What is 'hirvi?'"

Lips pursed, Maikki considered. Where had that come from? Hirvi was the word for a moose, or a deer, in Finnish. She called Valentino hani, or honey, in Finnish sometimes, but why had she come up with hirvi for Nicky? When? Because she certainly thought she had referred to him as hirvi before.

"Well, uh, it means... moose or deer in Finnish. Elk? But..."

"A pet name?" He laughed, his almond-shaped eyes twinkling. "I like it. Hirvi,"

Maik corrected his pronunciation gently once, and he repeated it back to her against her lips before he kissed her. 

"Come on, Maikki, it's time for bed," She raised an eyebrow at him as he shifted to stand, pushing her back from the dresser. "Don't look at me like that, I'm just gonna tuck you in. Unless you want me to stay,"

Maikki really lifted an eyebrow at that, looking up at him incredulously, until the implications of his suggestion started to dawn on him.

"I didn't mean it like that, I swear!" Nicky laughed, pushing her hips away from his as if a little space might save him. "I meant, like... I'd feel better with a cuddle buddy, but that's just me,"

"Cuddle buddy," Maikki tried out the phrase - with Nicky around, there was no end to the things he uttered that she had never heard before. As a Finn, the concept of cuddling with someone for comfort wasn't really in her vocabulary, but he was warm and his presence was reassuring. "Sure,"

"You don't sound sure,"

"I'm Finnish, automatically an introvert,"

"If you wanna be alone, don't -"

"No, please stay, hirvi," Smiling, he stroked her cheek gently before he brushed her hair behind her ear. 

"Come on then, I'll get the light." His hands lingered on her sides as she turned to shut the bathroom and the closet door - she couldn't sleep with them open - and was crawling under the comforter when the light shut off. 

As she settled in to the plush comforter, Nicky's hands touched her sides, pulling her close. He held still as she cuddled into his chest, then fit his body to hers, planting a kiss on her forehead.

Within minutes, she was out.


	27. Chapter 27

When she woke up, she was alone, but the indent of Nicky's body was still pressed into the sheets beside her. For a long minute, Maikki stared at it, before she rolled out of bed to stretch. It took a lot for her to sleep so late - it was nearly 0900 - but apparently keeping Nicky for the night had been the right choice. After she brushed her teeth and changed into a pair of high-waisted leggings, a fresh bra, and some anonymous flannel she had picked up from somewhere, Maikki made her way out to the living room with her mat. Thank god she had made muffins for the boys yesterday, she didn't want to have to think about anything this morning. 

"... take advantage of her like that," Valentino's voice stopped Maikki in her tracks at the edge of the kitchen, starting at the pair. Nicky looked like he was fresh from a run, Valentino fresh from the shower. 

"You better be talking about someone else," Maikki murmured darkly as she brushed past the pair on her way out to the back porch to practice. She rolled out her mat and eased into it, still on the same playlist she had played the day before. She was close enough for her phone to port into the speakers in the house, so the pair in the kitchen were treated to her music. 

The playlist ended and she was still working, so she picked a fresh one, mindful that the guys had gathered to start their day, munching on muffins. They had cleared out by the time she straightened off her mat, after a lengthy savasana that may or may not have been a small nap. As she rolled up her mat, Nicky's southern drawl called out to her.

"Was wondering if you fell asleep,"

"Me too," She mused with a smile, trying to avoid his arms as she padded in the kitchen. It had been a hard practice, and she was drenched in sweat. "Aw, Nicky, I'm a mess,"

"I don't think so." He murmured, holding her tightly. "How mucha that did you hear?"

"Just Vale saying you were taking advantage of me," She set her mat down on the bar stool behind him so she could wrap both arms around his waist. "If I have an opinion in this, I disagree."

"Yeah?"

"Yes." Maikki sought his lips, ignoring the tang of her sweat on them. He tangled his fingers in her hair, holding her head to his, the other arm wrapped around her waist. She pressed a hand against his chest, the other buried in his short hair. After a long moment, she hooked her fingers into the waistband of his shorts, holding his hips hard to his. To her surprise, he flinched away, pulling back from her. Curious, she observed him with a raised eyebrow.

"Really, I think you're doing the opposite of taking advantage," She muttered with a frustrated sigh, reaching for her mat behind him so she could go shower. 

"What are you doing to me, Maikki?" He asked, his hand on her wrist. "You move so fast my head is spinning,"

"That's me," She turned her arm in his hand, aiming to break his grip so she could pull away, but his fingers easily wrapped around her wrist. His grip wasn't hard, just unbreakable, and he used it to reel her back into his chest. 

"That's why you're the champ, right?" Nicky's lips were at her temple, his free hand running down her back. The position looked compromising, felt almost dangerous - he held her wrist, their hands raised, her other hand a warning on his chest - but his mouth on hers made her melt against his chest. She gasped as he nipped her bottom lip, holding a handful of her ass hard. 

"You recover quickly," She murmured, mindful that they were in Valentino's kitchen. The guys would want lunch eventually, and she desperately needed a shower. But she ached for him, she wanted him so badly. His lips were hot on hers, her skin burned with desire where it touched his. 

"That's why I'm the champ," He laughed, releasing her wrist. "I think we should relocate," Nodding, Maikki finally picked up her mat, leaning so that her body pressed against his. When she straightened, he was chewing his lip, obviously scanning her body. "Fuck, Maikki,"

She padded into her borrowed bedroom, unfurling the mat to dry in the sun from the window. Normally, she would take the time to clean it, but today she turned to her guest as he shut the door behind them. 

"Baby,"

"What, we move rooms and now you're not sure?" She asked, a little too hotly, but instead of being angry, Nicky started to laugh as he pulled off his shirt, dropping it on the dresser. He was inclined to laughter, it suited his face. 

"Come here," She did as she was asked, letting him run his hands over her sides, down the back of her leggings as she kissed him, one hand against his pec and the other one tucked into the waist band of his shorts. He had no idea how attractive he was, she mused as he started to slowly steer her to the bed, working to try to get her bra up and off. 

Finally, Maikki took pity on the man and did it for him, tossing the garment aside as he pushed her small breasts up in his hands, kissing the skin between them. He took his time kissing his way down the short expanse to the top of her leggings, rolling them down inch by inch as he kissed the skin beneath them. She was still sweaty, and felt a little self-conscious about it, but he didn’t seem to mind. 

He peeled them all the way off, kissing the sensitive skin between her thighs as he made his way back up her legs. Finally, he sunk his lips onto her, lapping with his tongue just enough to tease her before he pulled back. 

“Condom?”

“Backpack,” She pointed over her head to where the backpack was, watching him shed his lower layers as he made his way to the black bag. “They might be at the bottom, inside the inside pouch,”

“Inside the inside...” His sentence trailed off as he realized what she meant, finding a pair. He tossed one onto her nightstand, cueing her raised brow. “I like to be prepared,”

Maikki rolled her eyes as she shifted to his side of the bed, turning up the volume on her phone. It had connected with the speaker in her room, which she hoped meant it wasn’t still playing in the kitchen. 

“Plannin’ on making some noise?” He asked, carefully rolling the condom on. He was decently endowed, a little above the average she had seen, and she reached for his hips, pushing her lips on his. 

“If threatened, the wild Maikki...” She joked as he pressed her back against the bed again, teasing her legs apart. With one last glance at her, he guided himself into her, a careful hand at his base. She sighed as he filled her, letting her head tip between her elbows. 

“Fuck, Maikki,” Nicky’s voice was breathless as he settled into her, his hips meeting her legs. He reached for her head, to press her lips against hers. “You’re so fucking small,”

She didn’t have a response for that, so she pressed her lips to his, swearing in Finnish as he shifted inside of her, starting to pull out, to find his rhythm. 

Maikki shifted under him, tilting her hips for a better angle. He kissed her gently, sweetly almost as he started to push her toward her edge. She leaned back, letting her legs fall to either side under his hands. 

“Flexible,” He murmured against her cheek, starting to guide her to turn. 

“Yoga,” She shrugged, letting him guide her onto her stomach, her feet on the ground. He reached around her hips to rub her clit with one hand, the other holding her hips firmly. 

“Right there, Nicky, fuck,” She leaned forward, hands tangled in the comforter as he found the spot that made her toes curl, the warmth start to spread through her body. 

“Maik, I’m almost there,” He breathed in her ear, his breath hot. 

“Give it to me, Nicky,” Her voice was hoarse with desire as his fingers climbed her chest from her hip, one hand still rubbing her furiously. She had already found her finish, the heady euphoria washing over her in waves as he squeezed her chest and bit her shoulder, holding her tightly as he groaned, his thrusts slowing. 

He pulled out of her, if only to turn her in his arms so he could plant his lips against hers. 

“Fuck, baby, you’re incredible,” He whispered against her cheek, holding her face close. Maik smiled against his cheek, pressing her lips firmly against the corner of his mouth. 

“You are lovely, hirvi,” She breathed, finding his lips with hers. They pressed together, his tongue slipping past her teeth to tangle with hers. “But I need a shower. And likely so do you,”

“Thanks to you,” He grinned, stroking her hair out of her face. “Can I join you?”

“I insist, but give me a minute before you do,” Maik pointed a lazy finger at the condom on the nightstand as she pulled away from him, into the bathroom.


	28. Chapter 28

Their morning session hadn't been a wash, per se, just a different type of practice session. Two days later, they found themselves with a free morning.

"Want to go on a trail ride?" She asked Nicky, after Valentino had left them to go to his offices on the other side of the compound. They had been careful about their PDA, their smoldering glances, but Vale still seemed to know something was happening between the pair. The rest of the guys weren't so observant.

"Rather ride you," He joked, a twinkle in his eyes as he chased after her lips with his, holding her close in the kitchen. "That sounds fun,"

They made their way to the garage where their bikes and gear were stored, and Maikki had to resist the urge to jump him as he changed into his gear. As it was, she couldn't resist tracing the v of his abs, hooking a finger into the high waist of his motocross pants as he pulled his jersey over his head.

"You're gonna give me an issue, baby," He murmured, leaning to brush his lips across her cheek. 

Finally dressed, Maikki kicked over her 250 - she preferred a small bike for the winding, hilly trails behind Valentino's house - and took off with Nicky in tow, the pair high-tailing it for a spot she knew. It was hard to get to, but she thought she remembered the route, and they had full tanks of gas as they headed into the trees.

Nicky won several spirited battles for the lead even though he had no idea where he was headed. He never quit until he managed to pass her, pushing then both to their limits on the trail. His dedication made Maikki giggle in her helmet, and pound his fist every time she rode past to reclaim first. It was the friendliest of friendly competition, especially because there were no stakes - neither won anything for beating the other. But that competition looked different on two professional riders than it did in a Sunday warrior’s spat. 

Finally, one of their battles got a little too competitive and Maikki slid out into the underbrush, swearing angrily as she did. She was tipping her bike up as Nicky tried to kick his over, uncharacteristicly not asking if she was ok. 

“Hey baby?” 

“Yeah?”

“This place you wanna go, is it close?” He asked, just as his bike finally roared to life. 

“Joo, hirvi, why?”

“I, uh, think I got a fuel leak,” Head tilted, Maikki started to lean her bike against a tree to check his bike and thought better of it. 

“Got two hills in you?” She asked, giving her bike a poignant kick. It stuttered to life. Nicky nodded and followed as she led the way toward the place she was thinking of - a large, secluded field, filled with grass and the occasional sunflower that was still clinging to life in November. 

Maikki stopped, killing her bike as Nicky puttered to a halt beside her. Silently, they leaned the pair of bikes against one another, close together, to keep them standing before they stripped their helmets, gloves, and chest guards.

“Man, this is beautiful,” Nicky murmured, staring out over the countryside as it spread out across from the clearing, just above the trees. They were on the low side of the hill, and Maikki started to schlep up the hillside as gracefully as she could in her heavy boots. She could hear Nicky clomping along behind her. Halfway up the slope she sat, shifting until she was comfortable.

And was immediately uncomfortable as Nicky dropped on top of her, almost knocking the wind out of her as he laughed, tickling her sides. 

“Fuck, Nicky, stop!” She giggled, prodding him away until he flopped down on his back. Maik flipped over onto her stomach, leaning on his chest with her hand under her chin, laughing right into his picture. 

“What are you doing?” Maik asked, leaning to press her lips against his chin as he zipped his phone back into its pocket. She never brought hers riding, it was impressive he had his. He must break a lot of phones, she mused. 

“Enjoying the scenery!” 

Maikki pressed her lips to his, pushing his head back against the dirt. Nicky pulled her shirt free from where it was tucked into her high-waisted motocross pants, slipping a hand up her back. He yanked her jersey up and over her head, interrupting their kiss. 

“Now what are you doing?”

“Enjoying you,” She smiles against his neck as he shifted, drawing her chest up to kiss her collarbones. He pressed her until they flipped over, one of his knees between hers, pressed at the intersection of her legs as they kissed. He was teasing her, and ruthlessly. 

“Nicky!” Maikki giggled, pressing her fingers into his chest to push him away playfully. He didn’t stop teasing, but his laugh was music among the chirping of the countryside. Fuck, it was so fucking idyllic. She smiled against his lips, holding his shoulders tightly. 

“Something on your mind?” He asked, pulling back just a little. She has to squint up at him until he moved to block the sun. 

“Just... enjoying the view,” She laughed, using his line on him. He touched his lips back to hers, and she let hers part under the weight of him to tease his tongue. After a while, they sat up, and she leaned against his chest as they observed the hillside, enjoying the view and each other’s company.


	29. Chapter 29

“I remember that day. I have a picture of you two riding back together because his bike was out of gas,” Valentino scrolled through his phone, pulling up a picture of Maikki riding her comically small 250 with Nicky on the back, his arms wrapped around her waist. They were both wearing helmets but she knew he was smiling. 

“Fuck, that’s adorable,” Maik chewed her lip to fight back a tear, looking away from the picture. “Can you send me that? I want to keep it.”

“Sure.” Vale went the picture and set his phone down, reaching back for her hand. “Those three weeks, then?”

“Yeah, and by the time I got to see him in Kentucky before COTA... he got back together with Jackie.” She paused, still chewing her lip. “I helped him decide if he was ready to propose. I said he should. She was so sweet, he was so kind... He wanted me in the wedding. They were good for each other.”

“Yeah?” He sounded like he didn’t believe her. To be fair, Maikki wasn’t sure she believed herself. She folded down to press her face into her hands, elbows on the counter. 

“I don’t know Vale. I loved him. He didn’t love me. I miss him so hard this time of year my teeth hurt.”

“Your... teeth?”

“I think I’ve been grinding them.”

Valentino squeezed her hand hard as he got up out of his seat, spinning her easily on his polished counter so he could wrap his arms around her shoulders. Always with the hugging. The thought made her giggle against his bony collarbone as she wrapped her arms around his waist. 

“Maikki... it fucking sucks, cara mia. Losing someone that close.” Normally, Maikki would have made a quip about how he had probably never lost someone who had literally been inside of him, but she let it slide because she was sobbing into his shoulder. 

“I have an idea. Why don’t you eat some breakfast, and we can go on a little ride.” Valentino’s voice reverberated through his chest to hers, and she clutched his shirt hard as she took a deep, shuddering breath. “I’ve got a few of his jerseys, too.”

“As long as we don’t run out of gas,” Maikki laughed haltingly, her breath catching in her throat. 

Vale made her eat her breakfast before the pair went to the garage to change. For once, Maikki used the dry box storage on her bike for her phone, wrapping it in Nicky’s Jersey. She couldn’t wear it on the ride there, for fear of soiling it with sacrilegious dirt. 

The pair set out for a chill ride at something of a leisurely pace - at least, leisurely for a pair of professional riders. Which was to say almost screamingly fast. 

Maik leaned her bike against Vale’s so they held each other up, and started to strip off her helmet, gloves, chest protector, and shirt. She passed Vale her phone before she plodded up the slope, slow in her heavy boots, contending with Nicky’s Jersey. It smelled like him, or maybe she was remembering that peppery, kind of chewing-tobacco-esque smell he carried. Equal parts old spice, Kentucky soil, and beef jerky. 

Maikki sunk on to her haunches, and finally sat with her legs splayed, her hands clasped. Soon, it would be a reasonable hour in America, and she’d have to text Jackie. Valentino sunk into the grass beside her, offering her a hand. She took it to grasp firmly, sinking her forehead against it. 

“Man, am I needy or what?” She asked quietly, staring at the ground in front of her rather than the beautiful expanse of countryside. 

"I don't think so." He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. "If anyone understands, it's me."

"I know, I just... I don't know."

"You know and you don't know," Valentino teased gently, leaning his head onto her shoulder. Even in her grief, she couldn't help but wonder at her relationship with the man - the back and forth, the gentle teasing. He was interested in her, she knew. She hadn't admitted as much, but she was incredibly attracted to him. Was the song and dance really worth it? Life was so short - one of the most important lessons Nicky had taught her, in life and death, and she had loved the phrase so much she got it tattooed on her skin.

It was the first time she had ever soberly considered the idea of rescinding her rules and dating Vale. Why not, really? Her rules were arbitrary at best, meant to protect her against something that had already happened - being seen as having hitched her wagon to Valentino's star. People already commented about their relationship, saying they were too close not to be together, no matter how many girlfriends Vale had or how many times Maikki was seen taking someone home. She sighed as Vale straightened, poking her boot. 

“Come on, we’ve got a picture to take.”

“Or a few,” Maik murmured as she fiddled with her phone, propping it up against it as she checked the picture. 

She set the timer and scuttled back to sit next to Valentino, leaning her head on his shoulder. The first one didn’t take, so she adjusted, then adjusted again. Finally, she had a picture of their backs - MK66 wearing NH69, sitting with VR46. They took a few with holding Nicky’s Jersey between them instead, which Maikki preferred. It was less... romantic, really. Some part of her had to be over Nicky. Truly. He hadn’t even been hers when he was still alive. 

Back at the house after a long ride and a group ride with the racers in the area, Maikki laid out by the pool with a drink, deciding which picture to post. She was doing her best to ignore the hubbub of Vale’s house, focusing between a few pictures she liked. 

“Need a consult?” Valentino asked from where he had appeared next to her in a pair of swim trunks. She scooter over on her chair so he could sit next to her, surveying the pictures. 

“This one.”

“But we’re both looking.”

“That’s why it’s good. Bloopers are more candid.” He laughed, patting her shoulder. “I have the group one to post too.”

They had taken a series of pictures with the jersey before putting it away. Thinking about them was making Maikki misty-eyed. 

“Hey, it’s ok Cara mia,” Valentino murmured, grabbing her chin to look deep into her eyes. “It’s ok to hurt.”


	30. Chapter 30

Friday morning was always the calm before the storm on a race weekend. It always felt, to Maikki at least, as if everyone was taking a deep breath before they jumped onto their bikes or into their roles with them. Often, Yamaha liked to cram in something fan-related during that breath, completely missing the point of the morning. 

Well, she couldn’t complain, really. Her fans were awesome and she loved spending time with them. Even if it did make her hands cramp up and her cheeks ache. 

Maikki stood with her teammates, signing autographs for the fans that had already gathered for the race weekend. Mav and Vale both were in foul moods - Mav, she couldn't pin down, but Vale had told her that his beloved bulldog Caesar was in for an emergency vet visit. At first, she had been in just as foul a mood as Mav and Vale, but, as usual, her fans made her smile so much that she was pulled right out of her mood. 

She always lost track of time at fan events. Maikki shook her hand out before she reached for a sharpie one last time, grinning as she signed autographs and posed for selfies. 

“Maik, we gotta get going. You have a meeting before testing,” Astrid practically had to shout in her ear as she pulled her away from the group. Maik waved apologetically even as she fell into step between Astrid and Valentino, with his publicist Marina on the other side. Maverick and his PR rep, Georgette, were far, far ahead of them. The sextet walked down the paddock road, dodging scooter traffic as they went. The track was just starting to wake up - other riders were taking their turn with fans at the low fence where she and her teammates had just been.

“God my wrist is killing me,” She murmured, massaging her right wrist with her left hand, clenching and opening the fingers in turn. “Does anyone know what this meeting is? We’re not in with RD again, are we?”

“No, I think Mav is though. Look at him, that is a defeated man,” Vale was right - there was a special slump to Mav’s shoulders, an extra stomp to his step they all knew too well. Being on the safety commission was a real treat for a MotoGP rider, even one like Maverick who was there to be more of a role model than to be consistently reprimanded. When she had first joined MotoGP, Maik had spent some time in the “hotheaded youth” seat with Pedrosa and Valentino as her levelheaded mentors, so she had a bit of an idea what it was like to be in those meetings.

"No, I this is just an interview. Come on, Maik, we briefed on this."

"When?" Astrid looked exasperated, but Maikki truly couldn't remember when they had talked about this interview. "Who is it with?"

"Motorsport dot com."

"Oh, right! No, no, I remember reading the questions." Maik paused, thinking as she accepted her phone from Astrid to pocket. She tended not to keep things in her pockets while seeing fans - they had the best intentions, sure, but some of them were looking for any piece of her they could get their hands on. "I thought it was just me,"

"I think they were going to take you one at a time, but it's easier just to get you both done at once. Quicker, right Marina?"

Valentino was texting and walking, a dangerous move for the gangly Italian, who wasn’t even the best at texting while standing still. Maik had to grab his elbow to keep him from crashing into her side as they walked, but soon found herself stopped next to him, staring up at his drawn face as he read a text. She had seen him angry, a rare thing, but she couldn't figure out what his current expression meant - brows knitted, it was almost like years of exhaustion had struck him all at once.

"Everything ok?" Maikki asked, her hand still on his elbow as she screened him in, standing in front of him. He didn't say anything, but passed her his open phone. She didn't even have to read the text to know what it said - Caesar was at the emergency vet. Vale had been worried about him all morning, and Maikki instantly connected the look of anguish with text in her hand - but she scanned it anyway before she pocketed the phone, pulling Vale down the road.

Astrid made poignant eye contact, and opened her mouth like she was about to say something, but Maikki shook her head as the quartet made their way to her trailer.

"Postpone. Just a little bit." Maikki opened the door to her RV and let Valentino walk up the steps before her. It was rare that he would let anything delay him from his precious schedule, but he let her guide him into the RV and away from prying eyes. He moved like a zombie, shuffling a little, barely lifting his feet more than he had to. She turned over her shoulder to the pair of publicists. "We'll be right out."

Valentino stood in the middle of the "living room" portion of the RV, staring blankly toward the bedroom. Maik ducked around to face her friend, letting her hands find his cheeks, brushing underneath his eyes. Big tears welled in his cloudy blue eyes, and his lips were pressed together in a firm line.

"Oh, Vale," She pulled him into her shoulder, draping her arms over his neck, stroking his curls. "I'm so sorry, Valentino,"

"Fucking dogs," His voice was small as he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding the smaller rider close. Maikki stroked his hair, chewing on her lip as Valentino pulled himself together. He allowed himself two choking sobs and a gigantic sniffle before he started to pull away, but Maik tightened her grip over his head, holding him still.

"You stay right there, mister. I know you, and you're just gonna get all weird and distant if I let you go back out there now." 

He pulled away anyway, despite her best attempt, and pressed his forehead to hers, their noses touching. Those beautiful blue eyes of his were closed, and she watched as he nestled against her cheek, pushing his nose into the flesh under her cheekbone. 

“I wished they lived as long as people,” He murmured, his breath dancing across her skin. She felt the goosebumps rise in its wake, and cursed herself silently as she held his shoulders tight. “Cold, cara mia?”

“No.”

Maik could feel his smile spread over her cheek, juxtaposed with the damp eyelashes that flashed across her skin. He didn’t pull away, though, as he shuddered a gasping breath to bite back tears. 

“You are a fantastic distraction,” Another wave of goosebumps. This time, she was completely sober. Her reaction to his breath, his touch, was real. 

“Fuck,” This time, she tried to pull away. But he held her tight, his hands tangled in the hair at the nape of her neck. 

“I need you, Maik. Don’t leave.” His voice wasn’t lusty, it was desperate. Sad. Of course, she was feeling almost the opposite of how she should have. 

“Vale,” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders again as he buried his head in the crook of her neck, crying. Maik stroked the curls at the nape of his neck. 

Fuck this whole thing had become fraught, Maik though as she held him close. She had spent so long running from her emotions for Valentino, right into the arms of other riders. Why? She kissed his forehead as she held him close, letting him mourn into her shoulder.


	31. Chapter 31

Well, that was the best she was going to do without Christina, Maikki mused as she looked in the mirror. She had done pretty well for the evening after a race, really. Her hair was straight but voluminous, her eyes smoky, cleavage bared. She hadn’t brought much in the way of “going out” clothes, so the long wrap dress she had brought was going to have to do. It was a luscious blue floral, and in her opinion it made her weird gray eyes pop. 

One lighter, the other one dark, right now they both looked close to the same color. But just like everything else in the rider’s life, it always came down to two sides of her - the cold, calculated woman on the track and the fiery-tempered temptress off the track. 

The “temptress” part was starting to wear on her, she though as she met Valentino downstairs for a smoke before they went out. Was she ready to calm it down and go on the relationship track with Valentino? Give it the old college try? Was that what she even wanted, was it worth the risk of their friendship?

Maikki had a lot to consider as she padded through the lobby - her entire philosophy on relationships, if Vale was ready to go out that evening while still mourning his beloved Caesar days before, and the thought that a sweater may have been a solid call. Valentino was dressed in all black - in a blazer and button-down, of all things - and offered her his cigarette as she stopped by his side. 

Fuck, his smile was just so charming. 

“I’m starting to get a taste for these,” she murmured, pressing the filter to her lips. “Used to be I’d only do this drunk.”

“You didn’t have a shot while you were getting ready?” Vale asked, summoning a car with his phone. 

“Do I look that bad?” Maikki joked, passing the cigarette back. 

“Absolutely not, cara mia. Gorgeous as always.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to get in my pants.”

“Do you know better?” He asked, his smile broad as he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. The pair had time for one more breath of the cigarette each and the car had arrived. 

“No Maverick?” Maikki asked, folding into the car as Valentino held the door open for her. 

“Left already."

"You know, if you two didn't fight so much..."

"Ah, cara mia, but he's the young dog, and I'm the old one. We have to fight." Maikki rolled her eyes, holding the high slit of her dress closed.

"I don't fight with anyone like that." She observed quietly, watching the buildings slip past as they made their way to... wherever it was they were going. She reckoned it was some sort of dancing bar - a lot of the guys had a penchant for those, even though Maikki found herself a wallflower at such places. She preferred dive bars, pubs, some place where she could hold a conversation.

"Because you're not that kind of rider." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Maik asked, eyes narrowed as they pulled up to exactly what she had anticipated - some sort of ultramodern-looking night club, complete with bright neon lights and a queue of half-dressed women outside, waiting to get in.

Those same women went wild when Valentino stepped out of the car - their admiration tempered with disgust as he helped her out of the uber. She pulled her hair to one side, out of her face as she regarded the crowd, with pursed lips. Despite her distinct look, Valentino was infinitely more recognizable than the small Finn, his reputation built on years of work that started when she was born. Literally. The thought of how much older Vale was than she was almost made Maikki cringe as she watched him go to greet his fans.

Meanwhile, Maikki abandoned him and sought her way into the club, pausing only long enough to flirt with the bouncer. She stepped to the side of the venue, scanning the crowd for other riders, her team, her friends.

Maybe the queue of Rossi fans thought she was his Finn? They really did look alike - she had looked up a picture of Katja, and discovered she looked shockingly like any other Finn, sarcasm intended - minus the tattoos that roamed down Maikki's arms. She tried not to sigh at the thought as she surveyed the room, toying with a lock of hair. 

"Why the long face?" Maikki nearly jumped out of her skin as a hand clasped her shoulder, and she found Lorenzo standing next to her, looking over the mass of people in the club.

"Fucking hell, Jorge, you scared the shit out of me!" She turned to give the Spaniard a hug.

"Didn't mean to. Come on and get a drink with us," He motioned to the VIP lounge, where Maikki could see several riders lounging with what she always affectionately referred to as "bimbos."

"Maybe in a minute, I think I see a few of my mechanics down at the bar. Thanks, Jorge." Maikki patted his shoulder and slipped past, down into the throng of people. Really, she hadn't caught sight of anyone at the bar, but sometimes she felt like the guys were all lining up to be her next conquest - or vice versa. Her penchant for riders was really starting to get her into trouble. Maybe she should finally completely outsource to motocross?

She glanced over her shoulder to see if Valentino had made it into the club yet - a useless endeavor, really, as she couldn't see over people's heads without a pair of heels - and settled between two groups talking at the bar.

The bartender noticed her pretty quickly, shaking her hand as he introduced himself. Obviously, he knew who she was. She could barely see the edges of what appeared to be a 58 tattoo under the rolled up cuff of his shirt, he was definitely more than a casual MotoGP fan.

"Thanks, Santiago. Can I have a Greyhound? And a round of tequila shots sent up to the VIP lounge for the boys. They didn't look drunk enough." 

"A whole round? Generous." The bartender plugged in the order before he started to work on her drink, staying within shouting distance of the Finn - which was to say, pretty close. "How did you do today?"

"Didn't get to watch the race?" He shook his head, no. "I don't want to spoil it for you. It was a good race."

"Did you finish?"

"Nobody crashed out." She smiled and accepted her drink, shimmying onto a bar stool as it opened up. 

"So why aren't you up there with your friends?" Santiago asked, leaning on the bar in front of her.

"Not feeling it. There's a lot of other women up there."

"Ruining your chances?"

"No, women just don't like me much. Never can figure out why." She sighed, glancing around at the dancing masses, who worshiped the DJ. Really, the place wasn't that big, but it was pretty packed and decently loud. Loud enough that her throat hurt having a semi-shouted conversation with her bartender.

It wasn't too long before Valentino found her - Valentino and Iannone, of all people. It was odd to see the pair of them together, they had never really interacted before. But then again, Iannone was probably going pretty hard that night. He was still reeling from a breakup with his longtime girlfriend.

"Santi, can I get a round for me and these two? Vodka, I think. I like peach." She fixed him with her most winning smile as the pair fell in on either side of her, leaning on the bar for lack of stools. Suddenly, Maik felt very short. "Jesus, can you guys sit down or something?"

"No way, I'm scanning," Valentino commented. He was indeed looking at the crowd, presumably watching for some hot brunette to dance with. Andrea stared darkly at the shot glass in front of him, frowning. 

"You should be too, Andrea. You're a single man now. You've got prospects,"

"I'm not sure I'm there yet," Andrea murmured, almost too quietly for Maikki to hear. She wrapped an arm around his waist, smiling up at the rider.

"Aw, come on, Andrea, don't be so down," Valentino rubbed his fellow Italian's hair slightly absently, tuning back in to take Maikki's shot.


	32. Chapter 32

The trio stayed at the bar until Valentino was asked to dance by a fairly attractive brunette, and he left Maikki with Andrea. 

“Do you want to dance?” He asked, looking at her over the rim of his glass. Andrea was one of the riders who had gotten better-looking over time - a rare title, one she usually only reserved for Valentino. But then, she wasn’t thinking of asking Valentino back to the hotel. 

At least, not at that moment. 

“Believe it or not, I’m not that great at it.”

“Choosing not to,” His smile was easy, but his chocolatey eyes scanned her face. He was also one of the more analytical drivers on the field, and she could feel him weighing her, measuring. Measuring what, she wondered, quirking an eyebrow at him. 

After a minute, he sighed and looked back down at his drink. 

“Fifth place. Again.”

“Fifth isn’t that bad,” Maikki began, but stopped herself. “That sounds stupid. I get it. That was me last season.”

“How was the Ranch? With you and Valentino losing so often,”

“We weren’t losing, Andrea. We just weren’t winning. Mindset, my friend.” Maikki sighed, leaning her chin on her fist so she could look at him. Last year had been so frustrating to her, something that made her angry even to think about still. “The entire place was on edge. I couldn’t even be around the Sky kids. But most of the time I was testing. Can we improve the bike for me? I need it to be heavier, but distributed. When we’re low on fuel I’m off balance and we have trouble in the corners.” 

Maikki leaned her head back to look at the ceiling, hands gripping the bar to keep from falling over as she cracked her vertebrae. 

“You know how it is. Change one thing...”

“I wanted faster this year. They gave me faster. But we sacrificed maneuverability in the corners.” Maik opened one eye, looking at him with a half-smile cocked. 

“At least you're bigger than me. I don't do well when we start bucking around."

"That's not what I've heard," Maikki's eyebrows shot up, and she leaned back onto the bar, head on hand. On one hand, she was considering asking where he had head that from, but the sources were numerous, and one of them was his own mechanic. That one made her wince - that had been a particularly bad decision on her part. Aahto wasn't above teasing her for the time she slept with someone for "competitive advantage," which wasn't what the union had been at all.

"Thanks for that, Andrea. You know what I meant."

"I do. I can't imagine what it's like to be... How much do you weigh?"

"Leathers on, or off?"

"Preferably off," This time, Maik didn't let the innuendo slide, and reached out to flick his earring, rolling her eyes with a good natured smile.

"Just under 54 kilos. So Pedrosa range, but taller."

"Have you tried, you know, steaks and stuff?" Andrea joked, catching Santi's eye for a new drink. "Need another one?"

"Yes. But no, I won't put on weight just to put on weight. I have other jobs, you know," Maikki nodded, pushing her near-empty glass around with her fingertip.

"Yeah, I think you do the most modeling of anyone in the field."

"Comes with the territory."

"What territory?" Andrea reached for his fresh drink, thanking Santi. "Shot?"

"Not yet, thanks. It's the territory of being the unicorn of the group. I'm special and therefore must be photographed."

"Like Sasquatch."

"Has anyone ever told you you're an asshole?" Maikki asked offhandedly, reaching to ditch the straw from her drink so she could finish the last dregs from the glass.

"Yeah, but it's endearing."

"If you say so, boss," She saluted Santi as he delivered her a new drink right on cue, thanking him. 

"You're something else, you know that?" Andrea asked, leaning with his elbow on the bar with his drink in hand. Once again, he wasn't looking at her, but past her, scanning faces around the pair. "Did you know that every guy at the bar has checked you out at least twice?"

"Oh, there's some behind you too, don't forget them." She raised an eyebrow and reached to poke a finger into the eye tattooed on the back of his hand. "I think it's just because I look different."

"Different as in tattooed or different as in not a man?"

"Yes. I'm rather partial to not looking like a man, though, so I guess I'm doing that right." Miakki pushed her hair back from her face, letting the blonde locks spill over her back. "So how do you fix your season?"

"You're the last person I should talk to about that," He was analyzing her again, his eyes hard even as they slipped down to inspect the octopus tattoo peeking above the low neck of her dress.

"Really? The absolute last?" She mused, looking over her shoulder to find Santi, asking him for a pair of shots. "I think there are other people after me,"

"I don't know the answer. I feel like I can't trust the front and that makes me slow in the corners."

"Is it maybe a rider issue over a bike issue?"

"Now you sound like Carlo," He meant his team manager. Maikki frowned. "No, there's merit to that. But I'm not sure if the rider error is coming from the trust issues. But there is rider error."

"I've seen it. You're not getting off the bike enough in the corners. You keep ending up wide, and when you get passed, that bike doesn't have enough power to take back your place."

"You're smarter than you look." She felt her eyebrows knit together as she took a long pull at her drink to keep her from getting angry.

"Andrea. I've been doing this my whole life. You're not that much older than me." Maik took a deep breath, looking away from the other rider. It happened more often than not, really. The men she talked to on a regular basis were the ones that accepted her expertise as a rider. The ones she didn't, like Andrea, were often not convinced that she actually knew what she was doing. It had happened to her for so long that she should be used to it, but it still made her angry. Especially when she was on track to contend for the championship at the end of the season.

It wasn't attractive, that was certain. She peeked behind Andrea to see if she could spot Vale, but only the riders in the VIP lounge stood out.

He didn't say anything as the shots came, and reached for his glass as Maikki thanked Santi. They touched the rims of their glasses together, and downed the shot. 

"You're not the first one to underestimate me." Maikki murmured, stacking the glasses at the far edge of the bar.

"Have I?"

"Assuming I don't watch the field, learn what mistakes everyone is making so I can take advantage of them? Avoid making them? Absolutely." When it came to riding, she was one of the most analytical on the track. Level-headed and smooth, that's what the announcers called her. She had to be - she was too small to get by on aggression alone. 

"How do I make that up to you?"

"I can think of a few things. But first, let me shame you a little." Maikki pulled a cigarette out of the little purse she carried and leaned past Andrea to pull the ashtray from behind him closer. The move brushed her long hair over his arms, and she noted his raised eyebrow as she lit her smoke. "How is it you think that I'm inexperienced? Like I can't have input on the race? I beat you by... fifteen-point-six-four seconds."

"Fuck, that smarts," He murmured, reaching for her cigarette. "I get it. I'm an asshole, remember?"

"So am I. That's not an excuse," She let him take the smoke, waiting patiently as he breathed it in. 

"I haven't had one of these in a while," 

"Can you handle it, big boy?" Maikki joked, accepting the cigarette back. 

"Brings me back to my original question. If you're done shaming me, that is."

"Hm... Yeah, I think I'll let you off easy. It was your first violation, after all."

"No points on my license?" His smile was wicked, but his free hand sought her bare knee, which rested between both of his, where her foot was propped up on the bar of his stool. Andrea seemed to know better than to just grab her knee, though. Instead, he reached for the fabric of her dress, pulling it over her exposed leg before he let his hand fall to his own knee. "How do I make that up to you?"

"I'll tell you what I want when I finish this cigarette." Maik leaned to ask Santi for her tab and one last round, standing between Andrea's knees. He pressed his bar-side knee into the hip closest to him as she leaned on the bar, rolling the filter of her cigarette between her fingertips.

"So what do you want out of the rest of this season?" He asked, as she took a step back, leaning on her elbow on the bar to face him. "Obviously, the championship, but what else?"

"What a great interview question, Andrea. Another sponsor would be fantastic. But what I want is to go into next season with an even better bike. Every year, we learn a little more. Every year, I try to improve my style." Andrea reached for the cigarette, which she gave him, letting his fingers trail over the back of her hand. "Now you."

"I want to come back and win it all, but I don't think that's going to happen. Not with the points spread. Not with my bike." 

"Considering a change?" 

"From Suzuki? No. I like my team. Even the ones you've slept with."

"Just one, I think. Sensing a little jealousy, though."

"How could I not be? Look at you." Maikki spared him a wink, her free hand on his knee rather than the bar as she took the cigarette back. 

"Keep going, I like it." She mused, admiring the stubble on his cheeks with her fingertips. It was a weird, quiet moment, the club pumping around them, but it felt like they were the only two people in it. She took the last breath of her cigarette and very slowly crushed it out, chasing the breath of smoke with the rest of her second-to-last drink. "Where is your hotel?"

"Same as yours." His hand migrated up her waist, hidden between her body and the bar. She lifted an eyebrow, but didn't move away, fishing for her new drink. "Why do you ask?"

Andrea was being facetious, she knew. Or maybe he just wanted to make sure he wasn't completely misreading the situation - the man had been in a relationship for a long time. There were so many coy ways she could ask for what she wanted, but she decided to be blunt as she leaned in to whisper in his ear, her lips brushing against his earring.

"I want you to fuck me."


	33. Chapter 33

Andrea slipped his hand around hers in the back of the cab, squeezing her fingers together against his palm. Maikki leaned into him, shuffling to sit in the middle seat beside him, eyes closed against his shoulder. His free hand traced along her jaw, his fingertips soft as they reached for her hair, pulling her face to his. 

Their foreheads nestled together for a long moment before he pushed his lips into hers. Maik reveled in the warmth of his mouth as he held her close by her hair. She let her hands trail across his chest, under his button-down. His chest was firm, his muscles fine and sharply honed, with the fine patina of stubble from his shaved hair. She let her fingers trail down his chest, over his shirt, to the front of his pants, massaging his cock gently. He wasn’t hard - not yet. His hand slipped under the high slit of her skirt, caressing her thigh as they kissed. 

All too soon the cab pulled up to the hotel, and they had to pretend they weren’t about to rip each other’s clothes off as they made their way up to his room. 

He grabbed a handful of her ass on the elevator, pressing her back into the mirrored wall as he kissed her thoroughly, his other hand yanking her head to his by the hair none-too-gently. They parted suddenly as the elevator dinged, but because his floor was deserted, Maikki slipped a hand into the back pocket of his jeans as she followed him to his room. 

Andrea shot into the room before her, kicking laundry around as if he could hide it. Shaking her head with a smile, Maik stretched in the window of the balcony before she pulled the curtains closed.

His hands fell on her waist and he kissed her neck, pulling her body into his as his hands finally got to explore. Maikki pulled on the tie of her dress, letting it open loosely against her skin, and his hands found the opportunity immediately. Like any good daredevil, he went for it, calloused palms flat against her stomach as they slowly traveled up to her abs. 

Meanwhile, Maikki pulled on his belt, searching for the button under the fabric. He laughed at her as he reached to aid her, freeing her to slowly undo the buttons of his shirt. Andrea pressed his full lips to her collarbone, teasing her skin with tiny nips as she tried to get his shirt off. 

As she pulled the shirt off and tossed it to the side, Maikki sunk her fingers into his thick, dark hair, pulling his head to her chest. He pushed the dress the rest of the way off her shoulders, running one hand down her tattooed side as he admired it. 

“God you’re gorgeous,” She was getting too used to hearing that - the thought almost made Maikki laugh out loud. She pushed it away as he found her lips with his, in sharp, hungry contrast with his fingertips as they tickled her hip bones. 

“Mm, tell me more,” Maikki murmured against his lips as he clasped her body to his tightly by a handful of her ass. Slowly, he pressed her toward the wall of the hotel room, easing her back against it as he sunk a hand into her hair. Romantic. Slow. She couldn’t say she wasn’t enjoying herself. 

His lips were full and soft and she let herself get lost in them, under his touch. He seemed interested in inspecting every inch of her, touching his lips everywhere but where she wanted now, teasing. Oh, but she was usually the one teasing. Maikki let her head tip back as he kissed her throat, one hand finally straying to her breast. 

Andrea pressed his body against hers and she realized that while she hadn’t been looking, he had shed his pants. She couldn’t resist the urge to reach for him, just to feel how big he was, but he seemed to sense that and pushed her arms up, a hand under each elbow. 

“What are you doing, big boy?” Maik asked, aware her voice was husky with desire. 

“Taking my time. I like to learn the track before I ride it,” She couldn’t bite back a laugh this time, and she could feel his chuckle float across her breasts as he nipped the soft skin beside her piercing. 

“What a line, Iannone,”

“Well what are you looking for, Kankkunen?” He murmured, pulling her leg up by the knee. His body pressed hard into hers as he kissed her jaw, her neck. 

“First, a condom,” She managed as she found his lips. He indulged her in a long, lingering kiss before he pulled away, letting his hands trail across her sides. God, everything he did felt indulgent somehow. She loved it. 

Maikki admired him as he parsed through his bag, pulling out a foil wrapper. He was svelte and strong, tattooed but in a tasteful, calculated way. Like everything he did on the track. And everything he did in bed. 

Andrea set the condom on the nightstand and offered his open arms to her. Maikki padded across the room, her hands wrapping around his chest as she pressed her body against his. He tilted her chin to his, nuzzling his stubbly beard against her cheek and touched his lips to her pierced ears. 

“What do you want, Maikki?” He asked, his hands searching down her ribs, one to grab a handful of her ass and the other to trace the line of her hip bone where it met her abs. 

“You. I want you.” 

He didn’t seem content with the answer, and continued to tease her, his lips following his hands as he pushed her back into the bed. He inspected each of her tattoos with his lips, kissing her skin until he reached the intersection of her legs. Maikki felt herself tense with anticipation as he breathed across her bare skin, his lips tantalizingly close to her. He shushed her, his fingers trailing down her abs until they pushed into her, first one, then two. Andrea’s other hand held her hips to the bed as she quivered under his touch, and she could feel his smile spread against the tender skin of the inside of her thigh. 

“Oh my god, Andrea...”


	34. Chapter 34

"You're not going to stay?"

Maikki glanced up from the ties of her dress, an eyebrow raised at Andrea. He had gotten out of bed - in all his naked, tattooed glory - to offer her back her phone from the bedside. With a wry smile, Maik took the phone, letting her other hand trail over his abs. The man was a specimen, she'd give him that. 

"Oh, honey, you know I don't do that," She murmured, tilting her chin back just far enough to let his lips touch hers. Andrea held her with a hand in her long blonde locks, the other toying with the tie of her dress. "Maybe some other time."

"Another time?" The lift of his eyebrows was hopeful, and Maikki found herself smiling, her lips hovering just below his. 

"I had fun, didn't you?" If there was another time, she was going to have to explain to him exactly how she played relationships with riders - with men in general really. Ideally, they would all be like Axel, content for the ongoing, casual situation. But sometimes, she had to cut them off when they got too clingy.

He grunted his reply against her lips, kissing her deeply before he let go.

"If that's what you call fun," He murmured with a chuckle, toying with the low V-shaped neckline of her wrap dress. "Yeah, I had a lot of fun."

Maikki gathered her purse, sparing him one last kiss before she stepped into the hall, sandals in hand. What she needed was a shower and another shot. She glanced at her phone for the time as she waited for the elevator - just past two-thirty, somehow, and with a text from Vale. Eyebrows knit, she opened the message.

‘You still busy?’ Not if she was awake, he knew her better than that. It was always hard for her to sleep the night after a race. She was still too worked up on adrenaline. That was another reason why she often ended up sleeping with someone afterwards - aside from exhausted muscles, it helped to get her down to bed.

‘Heading back now. Why are you up?’

‘Pacing. Want a cigarette?’

‘After a shower. Come over in fifteen.’

Maikki let herself into the hotel room and stripped, heading for the shower. With Valentino, she probably had twenty minutes to get herself together. He wasn’t usually so infuriatingly punctual when he was drinking. 

She was just wrapping herself in a towel when he knocked at her door. Fifteen minutes, on the nose. And she was still naked. She let him in with a towel around her chest, an eyebrow raised.

"Early, il dottore,"

"I brought a present," He held up a bag, and she waved him in before they could get caught out in the hall. The rumor mill would have loved that - even though this was something that happened every few races when he struck out.

"What did you bring?" Maikki sought out the dress she had worn, tying it over her still-damp skin. Vale was unloading the bag onto the desk in the corner of the room, very obviously trying not to stare at her ass as she covered it.

"Get me two cups, cara mia." 

Maik did as she was asked, and soon enough she was leaning against the railing of the balcony with a cigarette in one hand, a vodka drink in the other, watching the revelers who still milled below. It was almost three in the morning, but races were often considered holidays by the residents of the towns they visited.

Her consideration of the time made her wince - she was going to have to be on a plane in six hours. Not much time for sleep.

"How are you doing?" She asked, glancing over at Vale where he lounged in one of the chairs, feet up on the railing she leaned against. 

"I mean, I'm sad. But dogs don't outlive humans. Even old fucks like me." He sighed, leaning back in the chair to stare at the sky. "Thank you, by the way."

"For what?"

"Pulling me in, the other day. I needed that." Maikki smiled at him, hoping the expression wasn't as pained as she felt by his grief.

"Any time, Vale."

"I'll admit, though. I'm jealous." She shot him a questioning look, an eyebrow raised. Did he mean he was jealous of her sexcapades that evening, or the fact that she had beaten him on the track again? The latter was hardly fair - he hadn't been in the best state of mind, and she had been in rare form, taking first. "Don't give me that look,"

That confirmed it. Maikki sighed, returning to her drink for a sip as she tried to figure out why they kept circling back to this - to their not-relationship. Recently it seemed like all either of them could talk about when they were alone.

"Why are we back on this conversation, Vale?"

"Because I want a new excuse." His murmur was dark as he exhaled his cigarette. She didn't dare look back over her shoulder at him - she knew the look on his face without actually looking. 

"I don't know what to tell you." She knew better than to ask why it was on his mind - it had been on hers, too. In the time they had known her, he had watched her leave with Andrea, just like he had seen her leave with Nicky, with Guy, with Axel, with Marc more times than she should have. With motocross guys, World Superbike guys, random men she met at the bar, a selection of models... Anyone she could get her hands on that wasn't Valentino Rossi. To be fair, since he broke up with Linda she had seen a similar parade from Vale, but he wasn’t exactly sleeping with her friends or their... coworkers? It wasn’t a fair comparison, really. 

"You brought it up at Jerez. It's been on my mind ever since." Maik knew he was leaned back in his chair, his throat stretched out as he stared at the sky just by the sound of his voice. "Why were you thinking about it?"

She paused, staring down at her glass before she finished it, turning the square tumbler in her hands as she took a deep breath of her cigarette. She had no choice but to be truthful with him, in this setting, but it wasn’t like she had the desire to lie. 

"Dani called me out. After the Guy thing." He was silent, waiting for her to continue. "He said they're stupid reasons."

"I'm inclined to agree, but you're allowed to have them," He murmured. She listened as his chair scraped back, and stopped twirling her glass as he refilled it with the bottle of peach vodka. Idly, Maik wondered where he had picked that up as he leaned his chin on her shoulder, one hand on the railing and the other on the bottle. 

They stood together for a long moment, quiet as Maikki flicked her cigarette over the rail. As if it had a mind of its own, her now-free hand wrapped around his as she stepped back into his body. She could feel his hips hard against her lower back - was he really that much taller than she was? His lips were pressed against her shoulder, and as they brushed against her skin she noticed how soft the whiskers on his cheeks were. He picked their hands up off the rail to wrap his arm around her waist, her fingers still tangled with his. 

Valentino's breath sent goosebumps traveling down her skin.

"Cold, cara mia?"

"No." She almost laughed, holding his fingers tightly in hers. It was a carefully-created deja vu - man, he was good. "All of these expectations,"

Silent, Vale lifted his chin to take a swig directly from the bottle with a bitter chuckle. Maikki turned her cheek to press it against his, her eyes closed against his skin as she drank in the warm smell of him. It was tinged with alcohol and smoke, but Valentino's scent was warm, earthy, with an ever-present hint of oil and gas. Everyone who worked with motorcycles as much as he did had that undercurrent - that distinctly "riderly" smell - Maikki knew she had it, too. But coupled with whatever body wash he used, and the heat of his skin in the warm Spanish night... 

"You know, you don't have to cater to people's expectations," Abruptly, he pulled away from her, leaving her back exposed to the cool air. She was about to turn - maybe even complain a a little - as he took her glass from her hand, setting them both on the table before he pressed his body back against hers, both hands wrapped around her waist.

"What about yours? What if I don't live up to them?" She asked quietly, leaning her head back against his shoulder again, letting it settle back into the intersection of his neck and collarbone. It fit there. He pressed his face into the crook of her neck.

"I don't expect anything of you, Maikki." It was her turn to laugh bitterly, her fingers twined through his. "Well. I expect you to work hard. I expect you to keep winning. I just wish I could play a bigger part in that."

"In my bed, you mean."

"Why would I not? You are gorgeous, cara mia, don't be cruel." He smiled against her skin, sighing. "I want an excuse to do this. Whenever I want."

"Don't you already?" Maik wondered aloud as his hands trailed down her sides, holding her hips with her fingers still threaded between his.

"Not the way I want to,"

"How do you want to?" She was surprised the question slipped from her lips, begging him to show her, asking him to make the first move. He didn't. His body stiffened, his hands tightened around her fingers, around her hips.

"I can't do that right now, Maikki."

"Ah, right. Your Finn." He didn't pull away, just held her close, breathing against her skin. She had to respect his unwillingness to cheat on his current flame, his steadfast devotion to something he didn't even enjoy. It was a testament to his self-discipline. "Valentino?"

"Si, mia stellina?"

She paused, trying to sort the millions of gears turning in her head as she stroked his fingers with hers. Maikki wasn’t sure what she was about to say, there was something on the tip of her tongue that she needed to blurt out, but she was afraid to open her mouth. She took a deep breath, squeezing his hands tightly. 

"Give me until August."

"What?" His normally smooth voice was a questioning crack, like he couldn’t believe what he had heard. Maikki turned in his shock-loosened grasp to gaze up into those big blue eyes of his. Maik freed a hand to press against his cheek, her thumb playing across his cheekbone, tracing the lines of his smile that left small fractures in the skin by his eyes. She touched the pad of her thumb to the corner of his lips, pressed against his lip gently. 

"I said, give me until August. At break. And then... Then we can give it a shot."

"Why August?"

"Because that gives you just enough time to break up with your Finn, and enough time for me to get my head on straight."

"Maikki," His lips were pursed against her thumb, his eyebrows knit together. She shook her head, laughing. It almost felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders with her words, and she felt... giddy.

"I'm serious. But I won't let you cheat on your Finn. And I swear to god if this ruins our friendship I'll end you." 

Valentino didn't say anything - simply folded her close into his chest, stroking her hair as he laughed. For a minute, it felt strange. Why was he laughing? Did he feel the same as she did? 

Her doubts faded when he pressed his lips to her temple, laughing against her skin as he held her tightly. 

Wrapped in his arms, on the balcony of a hotel in Spain, Maikki laughed until she nearly cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has recently come to my attention that the italics I use in my notes for text messages aren’t rendering in my posts - so I’ve added single quotes to designate texts. It’s easier than dealing with the html on my phone.
> 
> If you see something, say something. Friends don’t let friends fail to designate text messages from straight up texts.


	35. Chapter 35

Maikki stood on her footpegs, balancing over her bike for a quick stretch before she descended into the seat at the start. She had gotten P2, her best starting position of the season so far, and was in the running for the championship. Then again, it seemed like she was in the running for the championship every year, now, even though she didn’t always win it. Engines were roaring to life, and she thumped the top of her helmet with her bare hands - a ritual of hers, for luck. She glanced over at Vale, who had secured third in the trials. She gave him a thumbs up, and he returned the gesture with a peace sign that morphed into a middle finger. 

The best of friends, for sure, until they crossed the start line. Then, they were bitter rivals until the finish.

Her agreement with Vale still weighed heavily on her mind - this being the final race before the August break. It was something she was excited for, but also dreading. Especially since Vale had decided that they were all going on a trip to Ibiza to celebrate the break, in a weird way, the start of their relationship. He had broken up with his Finn. Katja had thrown things at him, and Valentino had a cut over his eye from some missile he hadn't ducked. It didn't affect the broad grin on his face when he had met her in the paddock before the race.

Maikki would have felt bad if she wasn't concentrated on the start of the race. Or maybe she should have felt excited for the prospect of August. 

She settled onto her seat, leaning to discuss her tire option with her team as the light rain increased to a drizzle. Despite the prediction that the rain would increase, the track was still too dry for soft tires that ate themselves alive after a few laps. 

"Medium back, soft front, have soft-soft prepped for the tenth lap, I think," She murmured to Aahto, her face obscured by her hand. Picking tires last minute was always a dangerous task at the start, their colleagues were apt to listen to each other's reasoning and try to steal their ideas.

"I think you're right. We'll have the bike fitted immediately though,"

"Fine, I was hoping to make a call after a few laps. But I think my instincts are right."

Engines roared to life as the pace car took off to lead the first sighting lap, and her team left her to take to the tarmac after helping her smash her helmet on her head.

Maikki noted other tire choices as they took off, and the field straightened back out as they started again.

After a brief battle with Marquez, Maikki had pulled into first before she hopped into the pit - one of the first to change bikes. Maikki had to weave through the pack once more to regain her position as more riders pulled into the pits to swap out bikes and tire options in the dangerously wet conditions. 

Finally, she pulled up onto Marquez's back tire again. He was the only rider that had gone in earlier than she had, which was normal for him. Her former flame was nothing if not shrewd. She was overtaken briefly by Lorenzo on his over-powered Ducati during lap thirteen. She had always considered thirteen an unlucky number. 

She never actually remembered the crash, she only knew what had happened from the footage she would later see. 

Maikki had shuffled to overtake both Lorenzo and Marquez as Dovi, Iannone, and Rossi all gathered for a battle for third and fourth, hoping that one of the top three would drop back. Lorenzo still needed to pull into the pit to change his mangled tires, so the belief that he would drop back was not unfounded.

Unfortunately, Jorge had taken one lap too many on his tires and there was virtually no surface left on which to turn by lap thirteen, and he apparently used up whatever was left passing her. He lost traction, and went down in a violent pitch, his body and his bike sliding through the center of the tarmac in front of Maikki. She hadn’t anticipated him to slide into the center and barely avoided hitting the man, but ended up clipping his bike which launched her out of her seat high side - front side? - and into midair.

Her head hit the ground - thankfully at a reduced corner speed of only sixty miles per hour after she had managed to stab the brake in an attempt to avoid hitting Lorenzo - and while the helmet saved her life, the fiberglass shell cracked and drove into her face sometime during her slide across the tarmac. Maikki narrowly avoided being hit by Lorenzo's bike and her own as she instinctively flared out her limbs, fighting a loss of consciousness as her body slid to a halt right in the middle of the track. The pair of bikes collided into a twisted metal wreck that settled on the apex of the turn, a tire spinning off back into the trafficked section of the track. Lorenzo was able to limp off the track toward the grass as marshals rushed out to pull Maikki's body off the track.

Meanwhile, third-place Marquez slid out into the gravel with no alternative to avoid the twisted pile of Maikki's Yamaha and Lorenzo's Ducati. The marshals had to dodge his body as he slid through the pit - but thankfully, they were used to keeping an eye on Marc.

Maikki was still as a stone in the middle of one of the toughest turns in the course.

Valentino saw Maikki and swerved to avoid hitting her, even though he had thought she had made it to the gravel behind her bike. Next to him, Iannone was forced to swerve too, managing to take the wide route and avoid the whole ruckus, but he still slid into the grass. Behind Iannone, Dovi wasn't so lucky; he collided with Vale's back tire and was sent spiraling into the grass. He collided with Valentino, their bodies entangling as they headed toward the gravel.

The errant tire, which was one of Maikki's, bounced into Pedrosa, who fell into Zarco. Both were able to slide harmlessly into the grass ahead of the crash, but the tire kept going, where it finally plowed into Maverick. Because the marshals had yet to start waving a yellow caution flag, Vinales was still barreling along at full race speed, and ended up colliding with the tire. His bike slid into the combined wreck of Maikki and Jorge's bikes, and the rider went straight into the gravel pit.

It was at that point that the red flags were brought out, and marshals were able to direct riders around the track, back toward the pit as confusion and worry about the incident that everyone had just ridden past mounted. 

The crowd held its breath as an ambulance whined its way across the field toward where Maikki still lay. Her team rushed from the paddock on scooters, Aahto and Astrid in the lead on their way to where she lay. It wasn't long after that a helicopter landed on the track not far from the wreck.

Maikki was airlifted to the hospital, her mangled helmet still on her head, her team staring at the twisted ruin of her bike.

The race did not restart. With nine riders out of contention in one wreck plus another four crashed out independently of it, it seemed silly to. Everyone who crashed out had injuries; all were bruised, there were broken fingers for Iannone and Zarco, a dislocated shoulder for Marquez, a fractured wrist for Vale, a broken ankle for Dovi, a broken collarbone for Pedrosa, and a broken leg each for Vinales and Jorge. 

With one bad judgement call, Jorge had ruined the season for himself and at least four other riders, not to mention caused millions of dollars in damage to the field.

It was called the single worst crash in MotoGP history.

The field held its breath, waiting for news of Maikki as she was brought into surgery, the helmet still on her head.


End file.
